Severe Sleep Problems and Psychopathic Features: A Study of Finnish Adolescents

Objective: This study investigated sleep and psychopathic features in a population-based sample of 4855 Finnish adolescents. Method: Sleep was evaluated by questions about the frequency and persistence of sleep problems and the amount of sleep on school and weekend nights. Psychopathic features were measured with Antisocial Process Screening Device-Self Report (APSD-SR). Results: Frequent and persistent sleep problems was reported by 5% of the adolescents while 3.2% of adolescents had continuous short sleep, 7 hours or less on both school and weekend nights. Higher scores on the APSD-SR measure were associated with both sleep problems and short sleep. Conclusion: We conclude that severe problems of sleep quality and quantity among adolescents may be associated with vulnerability to lack of behavioral control and prosocial behavior.