An Integrative Understanding
Research Focus
While my projects span topics such as pediatric healthcare access, environmental hazards, dream socialization, and measure validation, they are all grounded in a central goal: advancing pediatric sleep health equity.
I frame my work within the RDoC model to examine how sleep processes interact with broader biological, social, and environmental factors. My primary focus is understanding how structural factors (e.g., healthcare access, sleep health literacy, parental monitoring, and environmental hazards) affect child sleep. I use large public datasets and advanced statistical techniques such as latent profile analysis (LPA), structural equation modeling (SEM), and hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) to investigate these relationships.
Projects in Progress and Publication
Social Ecological Model of Pediatric Sleep Health
I am developing a novel social ecological model that positions the medical system as a key factor influencing pediatric sleep health. This framework incorporates individual, social, and structural factors, across both the child and pediatrician contexts, to better understand how healthcare access, provider communication, sleep health literacy, adherence to AAP standards, referral networks, and other systemic barriers shape sleep outcomes and perpetuate disparities.
Dream Socialization and Nightmares
A side project examining processes of dream socialization (e.g., how children learn to interpret, express, and manage dreams) sparked my interest in the developmental trajectory of nightmares. Through both research and clinical work implementing Imagery Rehearsal Therapy (IRT) with youth, I have become increasingly focused on how caregiver responses, cultural beliefs, and early experiences with distressing dreams influence the persistence of nightmares across the lifespan. I am particularly interested in the relationship between early nightmare experiences and later mental health outcomes, including psychosis.
Environmental Hazards & Sleep
My research explores how environmental exposures (e.g., air pollution, noise, and proximity to hazardous waste sites) affect sleep. I use geospatial and census tract data to examine how these risks intersect.
Measure Validation
My work in this area began with the development of a novel measure of sleep health literacy and has expanded to include the validation of existing tools to ensure their relevance and reliability in youth populations. Current projects include evaluating the psychometric properties of the Dysfunctional Beliefs About Sleep (DBAS) scale in adolescents and examining how commonly used sleep measures align with the multidimensional framework of sleep health captured by the RU-SATED Scale.
Sleep Disturbances in Prodromal Psychosis
I investigate the role of sleep disruption as a transdiagnostic risk factor in adolescents at clinical high risk for psychosis. My work in this area aims to clarify how aspects of sleep health contributes to emotional and cognitive functioning in at-risk youth, with implications for early intervention.
Looking Ahead
Stay tuned!
Team Members
Amanda Bates, B.A.
Postbaccalaureate Research Assistant (2.5 years)
Research interests focus on the impact of environmental hazards on cognitive health (including memory, dementia, and attention) and sleep
Amanda plans to pursue a career as an EEG technician
Danya Husein
Undergraduate Research Assistant (2 years)
Research interests include cultural factors influencing family sleep health, sleep patterns among Muslim populations, and trauma
Danya plans to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology
Selected Awards: 3Minutes to Share (DREAMS), Raupe Travel Award, URF Summer Research Award.
Rebecca Essien, B.A.
Postbaccalaureate Research Assistant (6 months)
Research interests include neuropsychology, psychosis, and sleep staging
Becca plans to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology
Interested in collaborating or getting research experience?
Please reach out!