Family chaos, cognitions, and their relations to behavioral and cardiovascular functioning

The current study examined the relations between family environment and behavioral and cardiovascular outcomes in early childhood, with children's hostile cognitions and sleep as mediators. Forty-seven children (4- and 5-year-olds) from Head Start centers and their caregivers were recruited for the study. Children participated in a continuous performance task, and completed blood pressure and hostile cognitions assessments. Caregivers reported information regarding home environment and child behavior. More chaos in a child's home environment was related to less sleep. There were no other findings, though many relations were in the predicted directions and of moderate strength. Results highlight the importance of family functioning in the amount of sleep a child receives.