The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on adolescent sleep behavior

Sarah Rocha; Andrew Fuligni

doi:10.1016/j.copsyc.2023.101648

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on adolescent sleep behavior

Curr Opin Psychol. 2023 Aug:52:101648. doi: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2023.101648. Epub 2023 Jun 24.

Authors

Sarah Rocha¹, Andrew Fuligni²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychology, University of California, 2311 Psychology Building, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA. Electronic address: rocha@ucla.edu.
² Department of Psychology, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, 760 Westwood Plaza, Box 62, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.

Abstract

Restorative sleep is a fundamental component of adolescent wellbeing, and the COVID-19 pandemic presented both challenges and opportunities for adolescents' sleep. In this review, we synthesize emergent themes from the growing scientific evidence for the impact of the pandemic on adolescent sleep behavior across different stages of the pandemic and in different locations around the world. We also highlight the ways in which COVID-19 shaped sleep patterns among college students-a subgroup of adolescents transitioning to emerging adulthood that were particularly impacted by the shift to remote learning. Finally, we discuss variations in the impact according to several potential moderating factors in adolescents' lives and point to areas that require additional longitudinal research.

Keywords: Adolescence; COVID-19 pandemic; Insomnia; Sleep; Transition to college.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Adolescent Behavior*
Adult
COVID-19*
Humans
Learning
Pandemics
Sleep