IMPACT OF SLEEP RESTRICTION VERSUS IDEALIZED SLEEP ON AFFECT AND EMOTION REGULATION IN HEALTHY ADOLESCENTS

This study seeks to replicate and expand evidence for the adverse effects of sleep loss on affect and emotion regulation (Pilcher & Huffcut, 1996; Talbot, McGlinchey, Kaplan, Dahl, & Harvey, 2010; Carskadon, 1990; Baum et al., 2014) among a sample of healthy adolescents. Forty two healthy adolescents between the ages of 13 and 17 were randomized to one of two overnight sleep conditions: (1) partial sleep restriction (4 hours total sleep) or (2) idealized sleep (9.5 hours total sleep). The next day, in comparison to participants in the idealized sleep group, adolescents in the restricted sleep group reported lower positive affect on the PANAS-C, and higher state and trait anxiety on the STAIC. There were no significant group differences in reported negative affect on the PANAS-C. Participants also viewed a variety of emotionally-evocative images from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS; Lang, Bradley, & Cuthbert, 2005) and provided affective ratings. No group differences in valence or arousal ratings for any picture type (positive, neutral, or negative) were found. Participants were instructed to utilize a cognitive reappraisal technique to re-evaluate negative IAPS pictures. There were no significant differences between the groups in terms of reappraisal ability (ability to generate cognitive reappraisal statements) or in reappraisal efficacy (efficacy in down-regulating negative emotions through this method), although both groups evidenced reappraisal efficacy. In other words, cognitive reappraisal was equally successful in both groups. Additionally, cognitive reappraisal ability and efficacy were not found to mediate the effects of sleep condition on affect. These findings overall add to a small body of literature showing the adverse effects of sleep restriction on affective functioning among healthy adolescents.