0240 Sleeping with One Eye Open: Associations Between Rural Neighborhood Adversity, Bedtime Parenting, and Young Children’s Actigraphy-Assessed Sleep

Abstract Introduction An emerging body of literature, primarily focused on urban contexts, has demonstrated that adverse neighborhood economic and social conditions are associated with poor child sleep (Tomfohr-Madsen et al., 2020). Rural settings may impact children’s sleep differently; for example, families may face less crowding but more social isolation. The present study sought to examine adverse neighborhood conditions in rural contexts as predictors of young children’s objectively-assessed sleep. Additionally, more parent involvement at young children’s bedtime has been found to predict better child sleep (Philbrook et al., 2022). Thus, the present study explored parenting practices at children’s bedtime as a protective factor in the association between rural neighborhood adversity and children’s sleep. Methods Participants were 76 children (Mage = 4.01, SD = .87, 52% girls) and their families living in rural/semi-rural central New York. Caregivers reported on neighborhood conditions. Children wore an actigraph for seven nights, from which average nighttime sleep minutes, latency, and efficiency were derived. Caregivers videorecorded one night of their child’s typical bedtime routine, from which trained raters scored the length of parental engagement in quiet activities (e.g., reading, singing) with the child. Results Partial correlations controlling for family and child demographics demonstrated that poorer neighborhood conditions (litter, noise) were associated with fewer child sleep minutes, r(70) =-.24, longer sleep latency, r(70)=.25, and poorer sleep efficiency, r=-.27, p’s<.05. Lower neighborhood safety was associated with fewer child sleep minutes, r(70)=-.28, p=.019. There was a significant interaction indicating that higher neighborhood safety was associated with shorter sleep latency only for children whose primary caregiver engaged in more quiet activities with the child (β=.35, p=.007) at bedtime. Conclusion These findings suggest that adverse rural neighborhood conditions negatively impact young children’s objective sleep parameters, and that distal neighborhood factors interact with proximal parenting practices to shape children’s sleep. In rural neighborhoods in which families feel less safe, parental involvement may not buffer threats to safety and emotional security that interrupt children’s ability to fall asleep. The results demonstrate the disparities experienced among rural caregivers in helping their children to sleep as well as the need to ensure all families’ access to affordable and safe housing. Support (if any)