The Effect of Children’s Sleep Problems on Problem Behaviors: The Serial Mediating Effect of Executive Function and Emotion Regulation

Objectives: This study explains the process by which sleep problems affect problem behaviors in early elementary school children and explores the roles of executive function and emotion regulation, which are concepts related to cognitive or emotional regulation.Methods: This study’s participants consisted of 283 children in first to third grades of elementary school. Questionnaires asked mothers about their children’s sleep problems, executive function, emotion regulation, and problem behaviors. Model 6 of PROCESS macro version 3.4 was used to analyze the collected data.Results: First, children’s sleep problems had a directly positive effect on problem behaviors. Second, children’s sleep problems had a negative effect on executive function, and executive function had a negative effect on problem behaviors. Third, children’s sleep problems had a negative effect on emotion regulation, and emotion regulation had a negative effect on problem behaviors. Finally, children’s sleep problems had a negative effect on executive function; executive function had a positive effect on emotion regulation; and emotion regulation had a negative effect on problem behaviors. Bootstrapping tests revealed that the mediating effect of executive function, the mediating effect of emotion regulation, and the serial mediating effect of executive function and emotion regulation were all significant in the relationship between children’s sleep problems and problem behaviors.Conclusion: This study expands on studies that revealed the mediating effect of executive function or emotion regulation in the relationship between sleep problems and problem behaviors. In other words, by confirming the serial mediating effect of executive function and emotion regulation, this study expands our understanding of the mechanisms by which children’s sleep problems affect problem behaviors.