P034 Measurement Type Moderates the Relationship between Sleep and Aggression: A Meta-Analytic Investigation

Abstract

Abstract Introduction A recent meta-analysis showed that poor sleep is both associated with and can directly cause increased aggression. However, no assessment was made of whether objective indicators of sleep and subjective perceptions of sleep contributed equally or differentially to these effects. Methods To test this question, the present meta-analysis directly tests the role of measurement (objective vs subjective) in understanding the relationship between sleep and aggression. Results By integrating 94 effect sizes using multi-level meta-analysis, the results revealed that aggression is significantly associated with both subjective and objective sleep estimates. Importantly, measurement type emerged as a significant moderator of this relationship, with subjective sleep more strongly associated with aggression than objective sleep. Conclusion This finding is discussed in relation to the broader implications for how behavioral, or sleep, interventions and research are conducted.