Chronotype-related differences in childhood and adolescent aggression and antisocial behavior – A review of the literature

Abstract

Eveningness has been found to negatively affect adolescents' sleep and daytime functioning. Furthermore, eveningness is associated with greater impulsivity than morningness. Externalizing behavior could be chronotype-related, implying that the alteration of the circadian rhythm itself is connected to aspects of emotion and emotion regulation. The present study investigated chronotype-related differences in emotional and behavioral problems, especially aggression and antisocial behavior in children and adolescents. We conducted a comprehensive search via web of knowledge (MEDLINE, web of science), EBSCO, Ovid, PubMed, Google Scholar and PsycINDEX using the keywords: chronotype, chronobiology, morningness, eveningness, owls and larks as well as diurnal preference to fully capture every aspect of chronotype. For aggression we used the search terms: aggression, anger, hostility, violence, anti-social behavior, conduct disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, delinquency, social adjustment and externalizing behavior. N = 13 studies were included concerning chronotype, childhood, adolescence and antisocial behavior. Results showed that children and adolescents being E-types were more affected by daytime impairments. Additionally, behavioral and emotional problems as aggression or antisocial behavior were more pronounced in E- than in M-types. Our findings support an association of eveningness and the impact of aggression on children and adolescents. Longitudinal investigations should be conducted in order to insure causality of the effects in question. In addition, the elevated vulnerability toward aggression in evening types demonstrates the need for prevention and intervention programs that educate youths in proper sleep hygiene and evoke an awareness of the consequences of a habitually diminished sleep quality.

Academic Performance among Adolescents with Behaviorally Induced Insufficient Sleep Syndrome

“…BISS induced by this mismatch might mediate the relationship between eveningness and academic performance. Similarly, the relationships between eveningness and impulsivity, inattention, or depression reported in previous studies 6,31,32 may partly be moderated by BISS.…”

Bullying, sleep/wake patterns and subjective sleep disorders: Findings from a cross-sectional survey

“…Secondly, while our protocol controlled for the effect of age and gender, no data were obtained regarding pubertal stage, although some sleep changes during adolescence are closely correlated to pubertal maturation (Carskadon, 1990). Future studies should also control for circadian preference which plays a role in emotional problems aggressive behaviors and sleep/ wake patterns (Dagys et al, 2011;Gelbmann et al, 2012;Hsu et al, 2012;Lange & Randler, 2011;Schlarb et al, 2013).…”

Aggressive? from Time to Time… Uncovering the Complex Associations between Time Perspectives and Aggression

“…Biases in temporal framing have far reaching consequences for cognitive processes (Zajenkowski et al 2015), affective states (Matthews and Stolarski 2015), values and behavior in many areas (see Stolarski et al 2015a). More specifically, recent research revealed measures of TP dimensions predict variables that have been linked to aggression, including negative mood (Stolarski et al 2014;Apter et al 1990), impulsive behavior (MacKillop et al 2006;Manuck et al 1998), relationship satisfaction (Stolarski et al 2015b;Bookwala et al 1994), substance use and abuse (Keough et al 1999;Brady et al 1998), chronotype Schlarb et al 2014) and affective disorders (Gruber et al 2012;Van Praag 1986). The links between TP and behaviors which have been independently associated with aggression gives rise to a question: to what degree are the various TPs related to aggressive emotions and aggressive behavior?…”