Objective To prospectively document changes in adolescents’ sleep before versus during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to examine their impact on adolescents’ perceived stress. Methods Sixty-two typically developing adolescents participated in the study before (Time 1: January 15 to March 13, 2020) and during (Time 2: May 15 to June 30, 2020) the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. At Time 1, each participant’s sleep pattern was assessed in the home environment using actigraphy and sleep logs for seven consecutive nights. Adolescents completed a battery of questionnaires in which they reported on their sleep schedule, duration, and quality, as well as their activities at bedtime, their daytime sleepiness, and their social/emotional behavior. The participants’ parents provided demographic information. At Time 2, each participant completed a sleep log, the same battery of questionnaires regarding sleep, and the Perceived Stress Scale. Results (1) Adolescents’ reported sleep was of longer duration and on a delayed schedule during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to pre-pandemic. (2) A larger proportion of adolescents reported meeting or exceeding the recommended amount of sleep during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to pre-pandemic sleep. (3) “Social jet lag” disappeared during the COVID-19 pandemic. (4) A shorter reported sleep duration and higher level of arousal at bedtime at Time 1 were significant predictors of adolescents’ perceived stress at Time 2—during the COVID-19 pandemic. (5) A higher levels of arousal at bedtime and lower reported sleep quality at Time 2 were concurrently associated with higher levels of perceived stress among adolescents, even when we controlled for the levels of pre-pandemic emotional or behavioral issues, sleep duration, or sleep quality. Conclusion Sleep duration and cognitive-emotional arousal, which are both modifiable behaviors, were associated with adolescents’ perceived stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. These behaviors could be useful targets for preventive interventions aiming to reduce adolescents’ stress in the face of stressogenic situations, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Introduction Current diagnostic criteria for insomnia require self-reported sleep difficulties along with a complaint of daytime impairment. Despite the high prevalence of insomnia in adolescents, its daytime correlates are not well characterized in this age group. Executive functions (EFs) are high-level cognitive processes that coordinate memory, attention and emotions, all of which are utilized in daily functioning. Sleep deprivation impairs performance on tasks requiring EFs.A number of studies have examined the associations between insomnia and EFs in adults, but there is a paucity of studies examining EFs in adolescents with insomnia. This limits the understanding of the nature of daytime functioning in adolescents with insomnia, and impedes efforts to examine the effectiveness of interventions aimed at alleviating the daytime impairment of adolescents with insomnia.Study Objectives: 1) To compare everyday executive functioning of otherwise healthy adolescents with insomnia and that of typically developing controls; and 2) To examine the associations between sleep and everyday EFs in otherwise healthy adolescents with insomnia. Methods 37 boys and 59 girls aged 12–16 years (mean=13.29; SD=1.1) with no medical or psychiatric disorders were divided into three groups based on their Insomnia Severity Index score: No insomnia ISI <7; Sub-threshold insomnia 8< ISI <15; Insomnia ISI> 15. Insomnia was measured using the ISI. Everyday executive functioning was measured using the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF). Sleep was measured using Actigraphy (AW-64 series; Mini-Mitter, Sunriver, OR, USA) and sleep logs. The parents of each participant provided information regarding his/her demographic and health status. Results Adolescents in the Insomnia group had higher scores on the BRIEF’s Metacognition Index (F(2, 94)=3.1, p<0.05) and Global Executive Composite (F(2, 94)=3.6, p<0.05) and marginally shorter actigraphic sleep duration compared to the other groups ((F(2, 94)=2.5, p<0.09]). Negative correlations were found between actigraphic sleep duration and scores on the BRIEF’s Behavioral Regulation Index, Metacognition Index, and Global Executive Composite [r(81)= -0.35 p<.001 r(81)= -0.49 p<.001 r(81)= -0.42 p<.001, respectively] and between sleep efficiency and the Metacognition Index [r(81)= -0.23 p<.05]. Conclusion ConclusionInsomnia in adolescents is associated with poor EFs.LimitationThe cross-sectional nature of the study means that the association between insomnia and EFs could be bidirectional. Support (If Any) CIHR 418638 to Reut GruberRGPIN-2015-04467 to Reut Gruber