Abstract

This study examined the extent to which sleep problems influenced internalizing and externalizing problems directly or indirectly through emotion dysregulation among adolescents. The sample comprised 5,454 adolescents (2,586 girls, 10-14 years old) drawn from the 4th wave of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study (ABCD study 2019-2021) conducted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The findings of path analysis indicated that higher levels of sleep problems were significantly and positively associated with emotion dysregulation, internalizing, and externalizing problems. In addition, higher levels of emotion dysregulation significantly mediated the effects of sleep problems on internalizing and externalizing problems. The findings indicate that addressing sleep problems and improving emotion regulation skills can be effective ways for preventing internalizing and externalizing problems among adolescents who are vulnerable to sleep issues.