[Cross-Lagged Analysis of Sleep Duration and Positive Youth Development in Primary and Secondary School Students].

Objective: To investigate the longitudinal relationship between sleep duration (SD) and positive youth development (PYD) among primary and secondary school students in Chengdu city using a cross-lagged model, and to provide scientific evidence for enhancing sleep management practices for students. Methods: A total of 4061 students of grades 3 through 9 from the Chengdu Child Positive Development Cohort were included in this three-wave longitudinal study. There was a one-year interval between one survey and the following round of survey, and the time points for the baseline, 12-month follow-up, and 24-month follow-up surveys were designated T0, T1, and T2. The PYD of the participants was assessed using the Chinese version of the Positive Youth Development Scale. The demographic data and the average daily SD over the past month were collected. Spearman correlation analysis was performed to examine the associations between SD and PYD, and a cross-lagged model was used to investigate the longitudinal relationship between them. Results: The average daily SD for the 3 rounds of surveys conducted at T0, T1, and T2 was 9.00 (8.04, 10.00) hours, 10.44 (9.67, 11.11) hours, and 10.39 (9.83, 11.00) hours, respectively, while the PYD scores were 5.30 (4.73, 5.71), 5.27 (4.73, 5.73), and 5.39 (4.89, 5.77), respectively. Statistical significance was found in the differences of SD and PYD scores across the 3 rounds ( Conclusion: This study reveals a positive bidirectional predictive relationship between SD and PYD among primary and secondary school students, suggesting that higher levels of PYD may contribute to adequate sleep. These findings provide critical scientific evidence for schools and families to strengthen sleep management and promote the holistic development and well-being of adolescents.