Parent-child relationship quality in adolescence and sleep and health in adulthood: associations among individuals who were in foster care
Principal Investigator
Emerging research suggests children in foster care are especially vulnerable to sleep disturbances, which may be a key mechanism in their increased risk of developing chronic health conditions in adulthood. Children in foster care are also disproportionately more likely to be from racial/ethnic minority groups, which exacerbates their risk for health disparities connected to early life stress exposure. Responsive caregiving and parental support in early childhood may mitigate poor sleep outcomes due to early life stress, however there is limited research on the relationship between parent-child relationships, sleep patterns, and health in the foster care population. This pilot project proposes to address this gap in knowledge by using an existing nationally representative data set to examine the associations between parent-child relationship quality in adolescence, sleep in adulthood, and health outcomes, and whether there are racial/ethnic differences in these associations. The overall goal of this project is to identify modifiable risk factors for poor health outcomes in the foster care population to reduce disease burden and racial health disparities and to improve public health.
