| Abstract [eng] |
This study aimed to examine the relationships among sleep duration, screen time, and executive functions in preschool-aged children. The sample consisted of 99 children (56.57% girls; mean age 56.90 months, SD = 6.54) from one preschool institution in Vilnius. Three executive function components were assessed using tasks adapted by Lithuanian researchers (Jusienė et al., 2020): inhibitory control with the Head–Toes task, working memory with the Animal House task, and cognitive flexibility with the Shape School task. Parents provided information about their children's daily screen time and sleep duration. The findings showed that 59.60% of children exceeded the screen time recommendations set by the World Health Organization. Children who used screens for no more than one hour per day showed a statistically significant, albeit weak, association with better inhibitory control performance. Greater screen time was also weakly but significantly associated with shorter nighttime sleep. No significant associations were found between sleep duration and executive functions. Age was the most consistent factor related to executive function performance. Overall, the associations found among screen time, sleep duration, and executive functions were weak, and the generalizability of the results is limited by the relatively small and homogeneous sample. |
