Relationship of Emotional Functioning in 9–12-Year-Old Schoolchildren with Key Lifestyles: Sleep Quality and Daily Physical Activity

TL;DR

Poor sleep is the strongest factor affecting emotional regulation in 9–12-year-olds, while physical activity has a weaker, indirect effect.

Contribution

This study identifies sleep problems as the primary predictor of emotional regulation in children, beyond physical activity and sociodemographic factors.

Findings

Sleep problems strongly predict lower emotional regulation and higher emotional lability in children.

Physical activity is linked to lower emotional instability but loses significance after adjusting for sleep and sociodemographic factors.

Integrating sleep and physical activity into daily routines may improve socioemotional development in schoolchildren.

Abstract

What are the main findings?
•Sleep problems were the strongest independent predictor of emotional regulation and emotional lability in elementary school children.•Habitual physical activity was associated with lower emotional instability, but its predictive strength decreased after adjusting for sleep and sociodemographic factors.

Sleep problems were the strongest independent predictor of emotional regulation and emotional lability in elementary school children.

Habitual physical activity was associated with lower emotional instability, but its predictive strength decreased after adjusting for sleep and sociodemographic factors.

What are the implications of the main findings?
•Interventions targeting children’s emotional regulation may benefit from prioritizing sleep hygiene as a core component of mental health promotion.•Promoting physical activity alongside sleep health within a 24 h movement behavior framework may enhance socioemotional development in school settings.

Interventions targeting children’s emotional regulation may benefit from prioritizing sleep hygiene as a core component of mental health promotion.

Promoting physical activity alongside sleep health within a 24 h movement behavior framework may enhance socioemotional development in school settings.

Background/Objectives: Sleep problems and physical activity are key lifestyle behaviors associated with children’s socioemotional development. However, their relative contribution to emotional regulation and emotional instability during middle childhood remains insufficiently clarified. This study aimed to examine the associations between sleep problems, habitual physical activity, and emotional regulation in elementary school children, while controlling for sociodemographic and lifestyle confounding variables. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 386 elementary school children (mean age = 11.15 ± 0.66 years; 45.6% boys) from southern Spain. Emotional regulation was assessed using the Emotion Regulation Checklist (ERC), sleep problems were measured with the Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ), and habitual physical activity was evaluated using the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Children (PAQ-C). Age, sex, socioeconomic status, and daily screen time were included as covariates. Pearson correlations and multiple linear regression analyses were performed. Results: Sleep problems were strongly associated with lower adaptive emotional regulation and higher emotional lability. In adjusted regression models, sleep problems emerged as the most robust independent predictor of both emotional regulation and lability. Although habitual physical activity was significantly associated with emotional outcomes at the bivariate level, its predictive strength decreased after adjustment for covariates and did not independently predict adaptive emotional regulation. Conclusions: Sleep problems appear to play a central role in children’s emotional functioning during middle childhood. Interventions aimed at promoting socioemotional well-being may benefit from prioritizing sleep health alongside physical activity within a comprehensive 24 h movement behavior framework.