Measurement type moderates the relationship between sleep and aggression: A meta-analytic investigation

A recent meta-analysis showed that poor sleep is both associated with and can directly cause increased aggression. However, no assessment was made of whether objective indicators of sleep and subjective perceptions of sleep contributed equally or differentially to these effects. To test this question, the present meta-analysis directly tests the role of measurement (objective vs subjective) in understanding the relationship between sleep and aggression. By integrating 94 effect sizes using multi-level meta-analysis, the results revealed that aggression is significantly associated with both subjective and objective sleep estimates. Importantly, measurement type emerged as a significant moderator of this relationship, with subjective sleep more strongly associated with aggression than objective sleep. This finding is discussed in relation to the broader implications for how behavioral, or sleep, interventions and research are conducted. •Both objective and subjective sleep measures were associated with aggression.•Measurement type significantly moderated the sleep and aggression relationship.•Subjective sleep was more strongly associated with aggression than objective sleep.•Single items measuring sleep quality had the strongest association with aggression.