0125 Youth Sleep-Wake Experience in Juvenile Justice Facilities: A Descriptive Analysis

Abstract

Abstract Introduction With our knowledge of adolescents’ sleep and circadian rhythms, it is striking that there is minimal research on the sleep environment and sleep health of youth residing in juvenile justice facilities. Earlier findings from our group (Woodard et al., 2022) suggest that sleep-wake schedules and nighttime light exposure increase youth’s likelihood for conditioned insomnia symptoms and/or circadian dysregulation. The aim of this qualitative analysis is to examine youth’s perspectives about their sleep-living environment derived from brief semi-structured interviews. Methods Youth participants (N = 19, ages 13-20 years) were recruited from 6 Department of Juvenile Services (DJS) detention/treatment facilities in Maryland. For 7 consecutive mornings, youth completed a sleep diary reporting their bed/wake times, sleep onset, and type of (nocturnal) light exposure. After this week, youth were interviewed (virtual platform) about their experience with the study and their opinions on scheduling and environmental factors that they believe influenced their sleep during the previous 7 days. Based on the 8 interview questions, researchers created codes such as increased sleep knowledge, environmental disturbances, trouble with sleeping patterns, and light and environmental factors. Interviews were coded where 1 indicated the youth’s response fell into one of the codes and zero indicated the response did not correspond with one of the codes Results Interviews suggest that youth participated in the study to increase their knowledge about their sleep (47%). 63% reported that their sleep was better at home (e.g., later bed and wake times) than while residing in DJS facilities. Environmental factors such as light coming into the room (58%) and uncomfortable pillows and mattresses (37%) impacted their ability to sleep. Youth also reported that changing their sleep schedule to allow for sleeping longer in the morning would improve their sleep overall (63%). Conclusion Youth reported trouble sleeping in the facilities. Findings suggest that environmental factors such as light and noise make it difficult for youth to fall asleep and they desire later sleep-wake schedules. Further research is needed to evaluate how the environment can be modified to maximize sleep and circadian health in juvenile justice facilities. Support (if any) AASM Foundation Award #22-CS-19 & Maryland Department of Juvenile Services’ collaboration.