Exploring Bidirectional Relationships: Child Sleep Duration, Child Behavior Problems, and Parenting Stress in Families of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Background: Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are at-risk for sleep and behavior problems, and their parents are at-risk for high stress. Child sleep duration, behavior problems, and parenting stress are interrelated; however, directionality of these associations is unclear and research including youth with ASD is lacking. Using a day-to-day, within-person design, this study explores the directionality of these relationships in families of children with ASD.