Classification of Sleep Patterns and Examination of Differences in Psychological and Emotional Problems in Third-Year Middle School Adolescents Using Latent Profile Analysis

Objectives The purposes of this study were to classify latent profiles based on the wake-up and bedtime schedules of third-year middle school students to understand their circadian rhythms and sleep patterns, and to examine whether there were differences in psychological and emotional problems between the profiles. Methods For this purpose, data from the third wave of the 2018 Korean Children and Youth Panel Survey (KCYPS), provided by the National Youth Policy Institute, were used, analyzing data from 2,384 participants. Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) and Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) were conducted. The psychological and emotional problem variables included attention, aggression, somatic symptoms, social withdrawal, and depression. Results The purposes of this study were to specify variables related to convergence competency, and to analyze the structural relationships among them. The purposes of this study were to specify variables related to convergence competency, and to analyze the structural relationships among them. Conclusions This suggests that maintaining a regular sleep pattern is important for adolescents to grow up emotionally and psychologically healthy. Based on the findings of this study, recommendations were made for the efforts that the state, educational authorities, and families should undertake to prevent adolescents' emotional and psychological issues, such as creating an educational environment that ensures sufficient sleep and conducting in-depth surveys on sleep patterns.