Child Sleep, Health, and Development Lab

The purpose of our research is to understand developmental trajectories of adaptation and maladaptation through an integrative biopsychosocial approach. We are especially interested in why some children and adolescents fare well in the context of family stress and socioeconomic and racial/ethnic adversity while others struggle.

We examine how bioregulatory systems, adverse family experiences, socioeconomic risk and discrimination are related to mental and physical health as well as cognitive and academic performance from childhood into emerging adulthood. We focus on sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system activity and sleep-wake parameters (assessed objectively with multi-night actigraphy) as mechanisms of risk, vulnerability/protective factors and outcomes. Long-term participation of families from small towns and rural communities in the Southeastern United States has facilitated our discovery of risk and protective factors for problematic outcomes over the course of development. Our samples have a high representation of Black/African American youth and a wide range of socioeconomic levels.

Among our findings, more optimal sleep (e.g., sufficient duration, better quality, more regular schedules) has emerged as a protective factor for youth exposed to family stress, economic hardship and discrimination. Given the modifiable nature of sleep, findings may inform prevention and intervention efforts to promote youths' well-being and reduce disparities.