Making room for sleep : A classroom based prevention program for adolescents

• Sleep patterns go through important changes during adolescence and sleep deprivation is extremely common, with severe consequences for adolescents´ daily functioning (Owens et al., 2014).Previous school-based interventions attempting to prevent sleep problems and their consequences have shown an increase in adolescents´ sleep knowledge but no behavioral changes. These programs usually include sleep education, cognitive and behavioral strategies, and a motivational framework (Cassoff, Knäuper, Michaelsen, & Gruber, 2013). Although the importance of motivation and engagement is unquestionable, previous attempts at enhancing adolescents´ motivation to change sleep behaviors might have been too shallow. We developed a new program that specifically targets barriers adolescents may encounter when trying to change their sleep behaviors, such as use of information and communication technology (ICT) late in the evening, stress due to schoolwork, and extracurricular activities. So, the intervention did not only focus on sleep education but also on improving students’ time management skills and encouraging them to monitor their ICT use. We also developed an interactive app for the intervention to increase engagement and to take advantage of the opportunities of ICT.The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of this classroom delivered universal sleep intervention. More specifically, we wanted to investigate whether changes in technology usage and perceived stress preceded changes in adolescents´ sleep duration. The intervention consisted of 5x45 min sessions over 6-7 weeks. Students (N = 292) completed weekly questionnaires through the app including a sleep diary for school-week and weekend sleep (bedtime, wake time, sleep onset latency, and wake after sleep onset), mobile usage, and motivation to change. They also completed pre- and post-intervention assessments, including self-reported sleep hygiene, perceived stress, and mood. At the end of the intervention students provided a qualitative evaluation of the sleep program.The intervention is still ongoing and will be completed by the end of the school year (June 2016). So far, the intervention has shown good feasibility in the school context. Preliminary results will be presented on possible changes in sleep duration and sleep hygiene and the role of ICT use and stress.This study will give us important information on adolescents´ sleep and its barriers in our 24/7 society. The discussion will focus on the possibilities of using this kind of preventive school-based interventions, as well as how modern technology (i.e. an interactive app) may be used for promoting engagement in this age group.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Psykologi (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Psychology (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Sleep

Psychology

Psykologi

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