Parents'reports of disturbed sleep in 5—7-year-old Swedish children

Parents’reports on 1844 five to seven year olds from the general population were used to provide a detailed update about prevalence and correlates of sleep disturbances in children. Five different sleep disturbances were focused on: difficulty falling asleep, reported in 5.6% of the children; night waking in 15.5%; snoring in 7.7%; nightmares in 3.1%, and bedwetting in 5.3% of the children. Coexisting sleep disturbances were frequent in children with difficulties falling asleep, night waking and nightmares, but bedwetting usually emerged as a singular sleep disturbance. Nightmares were associated with serious health problems or handicaps, sleep problems in conjunction with life events, and female gender. Snoring as well as bedwetting were associated with reports of “very active” children. In 6.7% of the total sample, parents had previously consulted the healthcare services for a sleep problem in their child. These children had reports of colic during infancy, eczema, serious health problems or handicaps, current snoring and current nightmares. Only 1.1% (n = 21) of the children were said to have a present need to remedy sleep problems. The reports on these children included coexisting sleep disturbances, previous consultations for sleeping problems, parents’perceptions of “very active” children, diagnoses of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and major life events which had triggered sleep problems. In conclusion, although sleep disturbances are common in 5—7-y-old children, parents seldom express a need to remedy sleep problems in their children of this age. □ Children, parents, sleep behaviour, sleep disturbances, survey     

Cosleeping in context: sleep practices and problems in young children in Japan and the United States

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationship between cosleeping and sleep problems in cultures with very different sleep practices. DESIGN: Interview study. SETTING: Families in urban Japan and the United States identified through pediatric and other professional contacts. PARTICIPANTS: Parents of healthy 6- to 48-month-old children (56 Japanese parents and 61 white US parents). All children had been breast-fed and lived in 2-parent, middleclass households. INTERVENTION: None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Sleep practices and sleep problems. RESULTS: More Japanese than US children coslept 3 or more times per week (59% vs. 15%, P<.001). All cosleeping Japanese children regularly slept all night with their parents (vs. 11% of US cosleepers, P<.001). Japanese and US children did not differ in part-night cosleeping (7% vs. 13%, P = .37). Most Japanese children had adult company and body contact as they fell asleep, and fathers slept separately in 23% of families. A greater proportion of US children had regular bedtime struggles and night waking. Within the US sample, cosleeping was associated with more bedtime struggles (P<.001), night waking (P<.01), and overall stressful sleep problems (P<.01). In the Japanese sample, cosleeping was associated only with night waking (P<.05); however, the proportion of cosleeping Japanese children with frequent night waking was at the level reported for US children who slept alone (30% vs 23%, P = .47). CONCLUSIONS: Cultural differences seem to influence the relationship between sleep practices and sleep problems. The experience of the Japanese families indicates that cosleeping per se is not associated with increased sleep problems in early childhood.     

Persistence of sleep disturbances in preschool children

The purpose of our study was to determine if common sleep disturbances in young children, such as night waking and bedtime struggle, tend to persist; if they are related to environmental stress factors and are accompanied by other behavior problems; and if their persistence is related to other factors. Sixty children aged 15 to 48 months (mean age 26.4 months) were studied by interviewing their mothers initially and after 3 years. Children with and without sleep disturbances were compared, with the latter serving as the control group. Twenty-five (42%: night waking, 22%; bedtime struggle, 13%; both night waking and bedtime struggle, 7%) of 60 children had sleep disturbances at the initial interview, and of these 25 children, 21 (84%) had persistence of sleep disturbances after 3 years, persistent sleep disturbances had a significant relationship with increased frequency of stress factors in the environment (P less than 0.01). Other generalized behavior difficulties were present in 30% of sleep-disturbed and 19% of non-sleep-disturbed children (P = NS). Co-sleeping (sleeping with a parent or sibling) was noted more frequently in sleep-disturbed (34%) than in non-sleep-disturbed (16%) children. Twenty percent of the mothers at initial interview and 30% at 3-year follow-up perceived their child's sleep disturbances as stressful to them and to their family life. Early identification of the child with sleep disturbances and timely intervention would help both the child and the family.     

Sleep problems seen in pediatric practice

To determine whether sleep problems commonly seen in pediatric practice, such as conflicts at bedtime and night waking, are associated with more pervasive disturbances in the child or family, two groups of healthy children were studied. Interview data from a pilot sample were examined to identify factors that might be important in sleep problems, and then the results were validated with data from the second sample. The two samples included 96 white children between 6 months and 4 years of age. In each group, approximately 30% had a sleep problem by the criteria that night waking involving parents or bedtime struggles occurred three or more nights a week for the month preceding the interview, accompanied by conflict or distress. Five experiences distinguished children with sleep problems from those without: an accident or illness in the family, unaccustomed absence of the mother during the day, maternal depressed mood(s), sleeping in the parental bed, and maternal attitude of ambivalence toward the child. These experiences correctly classified 100% of pilot and 83% of validation sample children as having a sleep problem or not. The similarity of findings in the two samples attests to the potential importance of sleep problems as an early childhood symptom. Bedtime conflicts and night waking seem to be quantifiable, easily ascertainable behavior patterns that could alert pediatric health professionals to the existence of more pervasive disturbances in child and family.     

Night waking during infancy: role of parental presence at bedtime

Night waking occurs commonly in infants and young children. The goal of this study is to determine whether parents who report being present when their infant falls asleep at bedtime are more likely to report increased frequency of night waking by the infant. Mothers were consecutively recruited when they brought their infants to the clinic for their 9-month well-child visit. A total of 122 mothers agreed to participate and completed a questionnaire consisting of closed-ended, forced choice questions about their infant's feeding and sleeping behavior, and demographic and psychosocial characteristics. For 33% of the mothers, a parent was routinely present when the infant went to sleep. The entire sample of infants averaged 4.1 night wakings during the week prior to questionnaire completion. Infants whose parents were present at bedtime were significantly more likely to wake at night than infants whose parents were not present (6.2 vs 3.1, P = .01). Frequent night waking (seven or more wakings in the prior week) occurred in 28% of the sample. More of the infants whose parents were present experienced frequent night waking compared with infants whose parents were not present (40% vs 22%, P less than .04). When potential confounding variables were controlled by multivariate analysis, parents being present when the child went to sleep was independently associated with night waking (P less than .03). The association of parental presence at bedtime and night waking has implications for preventing and managing disruptive night waking in infancy.     

Severe sleep problems among infants in a normal population in Sweden: prevalence, severity and correlates

The aim of this study was to explore the prevalence of parentally experienced infant sleep problems, with special interest in severe problems, in a total community sample of 2518 infants aged 6-18 mo. Correlates to severe sleep problems were sought. The families were approached using a questionnaire and 83% responded. Data from the collection procedure point to a non-selective dropout. Sixteen percent of the parents reported their children as having moderate or severe difficulties in falling asleep at night (sleep refusal, bedtime struggles) and 30% reported frequent night waking. Almost all (93%) of the parents had sought help at the Child Health Centre (CHC), but only 48% were satisfied with the support and advice they got. Severe sleep problems as defined by the ICSD (International Classification of Sleep Disorders, 1990) were found in 129 of the children (6.2%), who were studied in detail, with the rest of the population as controls. Severe sleep problems were found to be correlated with parental worries and anxiety concerning infant health (although the children were reported as being as healthy as the controls), infant feeding problems and intensive parental interventional behaviour (especially feeding) during the evening and night. A common factor of insecurity in the parental role is suggested.     

Sleep problems, sleepiness and daytime behavior in preschool-age children

Background:  Sleep problems are a common complaint of parents of preschool children. Children with neurodevelopmental disorders have even more disrupted sleep than typically developing children. Although disrupted nighttime sleep has been reported to affect daytime behavior, the pathway from sleep disruption to sleep problems, to impairments in daytime performance or behavior is not clear. This multi-method, preliminary study assessed this path in 68 children with autism, matched to 57 children with developmental delay without autism and 69 children developing typically.
Methods:  Actigraphy, structured questionnaires, laboratory assessments, and parent reports were obtained in 194 children.
Results:  Controlling for diagnosis and developmental age of the child, nighttime sleep problems determined by parent reports were significantly associated with decrements in daytime behavior, also measured by parent report instruments. However, actigraph-defined sleep problems and objective measures of daytime sleepiness were not associated with decrements in daytime performance.
Conclusions:  Parent report measures substantiate relationships between disrupted sleep patterns and waking behavior. Further understanding of the pathway from sleep disorders to daytime sleepiness and decrements in waking performance, however, may require more rigorous methods of assessment such as polysomnography and the multiple sleep latency test.     

Reducing Sleep Disruptions in Young Children: Evaluation of Therapist-guided and Written Information Approaches: A Brief Report

Regular night waking of young children is one of the most common problems encountered by parents. This study compared a standardized night waking programme that involved organized bedtime routines, procedures for settling the child and for the handling of crying, calling out and getting out of bed, with a group which received written information only and a waiting list control group. The children receiving the standard programme and those receiving written information only showed significant improvement over children in the waiting list group. This result supports the use of written parent instructions with or without therapist support.     

The relative efficacy of two brief treatments for sleep problems in young learning disabled (mentally retarded) children: a randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Settling and night waking problems are particularly prevalent, persistent, and generally considered difficult to treat in children with a learning disability, although intervention trials are few. Scarce resources, however, limit access to proven behavioural treatments. AIMS: To investigate the efficacy of a media based brief behavioural treatment of sleep problems in such children by comparing (1) face-to-face delivered treatment versus control and (2) booklet delivered treatment versus controls. METHODS: The parents of 66 severely learning disabled children aged 2-8 years with settling and/or night waking problems took part in a randomised controlled trial with a wait-list control group. Behavioural treatments were presented either conventionally face-to-face or by means of a 14 page easy to read illustrated booklet. A composite sleep disturbance score was derived from sleep diaries kept by parents. RESULTS: Both forms of treatment were almost equally effective compared with controls. Two thirds of children who were taking over 30 minutes to settle five or more times per week and waking at night for over 30 minutes four or more times per week improved on average to having such settling or night waking problems for only a few minutes or only once or twice per week (H = 34.174, df = 2, p<0.001). These improvements were maintained after six months. CONCLUSIONS: Booklet delivered behavioural treatments for sleep problems were as effective as face-to-face treatment for most children in this population.     

The relative efficacy of two brief treatments for sleep problems in young learning disabled (mentally retarded) children: a randomised controlled trial

Background: Settling and night waking problems are particularly prevalent, persistent, and generally considered difficult to treat in children with a learning disability, although intervention trials are few. Scarce resources, however, limit access to proven behavioural treatments. Aims: To investigate the efficacy of a media based brief behavioural treatment of sleep problems in such children by comparing (1) face-to-face delivered treatment versus control and (2) booklet delivered treatment versus controls. Methods: The parents of 66 severely learning disabled children aged 2–8 years with settling and/or night waking problems took part in a randomised controlled trial with a wait-list control group. Behavioural treatments were presented either conventionally face-to-face or by means of a 14 page easy to read illustrated booklet. A composite sleep disturbance score was derived from sleep diaries kept by parents. Results: Both forms of treatment were almost equally effective compared with controls. Two thirds of children who were taking over 30 minutes to settle five or more times per week and waking at night for over 30 minutes four or more times per week improved on average to having such settling or night waking problems for only a few minutes or only once or twice per week (H = 34.174, df = 2, p<0.001). These improvements were maintained after six months. Conclusions: Booklet delivered behavioural treatments for sleep problems were as effective as face-to-face treatment for most children in this population.     

Impact of pertussis on the afflicted child and family.

The effects of pertussis in an unimmunized population were investigated in 61 children consecutively identified by positive culture for Bordetella pertussis. Parents were interviewed twice, at a mean of 3 and 11 weeks after onset of symptoms. All children had a disease duration of more than 3 weeks. Behavioral changes were reported for 84% of the study children. Parents reported negative effects for themselves in 95% and for siblings in 63% of the families. The main problems were disturbance of night sleep, staying home from work and isolation of the family. Parental knowledge of the disease was generally good; a majority had few contacts with the medical services and coped with the disease themselves. Serious concerns for the child were reported by 51% of parents and fears for permanent sequelae by 10%. The attitude to pertussis vaccination was positive in 89% of cases at both interviews. The study has thus shown that pertussis in an unimmunized child population represents a heavy burden.     

Cosleeping in a community sample of 2- and 3-year-old children

A randomly selected community sample of 303 parents of 2- and 3-year-olds were interviewed about child sleep behaviors and completed the Child Behavior Checklist for Ages 2-3, a standardized rating scale for child problem behaviors. Most parents (55%) reported that the child slept in their bed at least occasionally and for at least part of the night, particularly during periods of minor stress or disruption of the family routine. The prevalence of cosleeping did not vary by the child's age or sex, but frequent cosleeping (more than once per week) was more common among nonwhite families and single-mother households. Cosleeping was not significantly related to child behavior problems, but frequent cosleepers were more likely to report sleep problems, including difficulty getting to sleep and night waking. Children who were still cosleeping frequently 1 year after the initial assessment maintained high levels of sleep problems, compared with those who stopped cosleeping and non-cosleepers. Cosleeping is common at this age and is not related to general maladjustment. However, frequent cosleeping is closely intertwined with child sleep problems.     

Sleep problems in early childhood: continuities, predictive factors, and behavioral correlates

A longitudinal study, based on interviews with 308 middle-class, preponderantly white mothers, provided an opportunity to evaluate the continuity, predictive factors, and behavioral correlates of sleep problems in young children. When their children were 8 months old, 10% of the mothers reported that their babies woke three or more times per night, 8% reported that the babies took an hour or more to settle after waking, 5% complained that their own sleep was severely disrupted by the child, and 18% reported at least one of these problems. At 3 years of age, 29% of the children had difficulty getting to bed and/or falling asleep or staying asleep. Of children with a sleep problem at 8 months of age, 41% still had a problem at 3 years of age, whereas only 26% of children without a problem at 8 months of age had a problem at 3 years of age (P less than .001). Among children with sleep problems at 8 months of age, mothers' depressed feelings were the only measured demographic or psychosocial factor associated with persistent sleep problems (P = .02). A separate analysis indicated that these depressed feelings did not appear to be a consequence of the child's sleep problem. Future studies should evaluate how maternal depression interacts with other factors to result in persistent sleep problems. Children with persistent sleep problems were more likely to have behavior problems, especially tantrums (P less than .02) and behavior management problems (P less than .01), than were children without persistent sleep problems (P less than .02).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

More daytime sleepiness and worse quality of sleep in patients with Dravet Syndrome compared to other epilepsy patients

Aim

Sleep problems are often reported in patients with a Dravet Syndrome (DS). In this study we explored the sleep behavior in DS and compared the prevalence of sleep problems with other epilepsy patients.

Sleep problems in healthy preadolescents

Few data currently exist concerning the sleep problems of preadolescents. A parent report questionnaire concerning sleep habits and problems was developed. The questionnaires were completed by the parents of 1000 unscreened elementary school children attending the third, fourth, and fifth grades. The schools were randomly selected from an urban area. Of the 1000 questionnaires, 972 were completed and could be used for statistical analysis. Among the parents, 24% reported sleeping poorly and 12% regularly relied on sedatives to induce sleep. Sleep difficulties lasting more than 6 months were present in 43% of the children. In 14% (132 of 972), sleep latency was longer than 30 minutes, and more than one complete arousal occurred during the night at least two nights per week. The following variables were seen among the poor sleepers: lower parental educational and professional status, parents who were more likely to be divorced or separated, and more noise or light in the rooms were they slept. They also presented a higher incidence of somnambulism, somniloquia, and night fears (nightmares and night terrors) than the children who slept well. Boys who slept poorly were significantly more likely to have insomniac fathers (P less than .010). Regular use of sedatives was described in 4% (5 of 132) of the children who slept poorly. Among the "poor sleepers," 21% (33 of 132) had failed 1 or more years at school. School achievement difficulties were encountered significantly more often among the poor sleepers than among the children without sleep problems (P = .001). Of the families with children suffering from sleep problems, 28% expressed a desire for counseling.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Parental and self-report of sleep in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of parent-reported and self-reported sleep disturbances in a sample of school-aged children with attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey questionnaire. SETTING: A multidisciplinary ADHD evaluation clinic in a children's teaching hospital (ADHD sample) and 3 elementary schools in southern New England (control sample). PARTICIPANTS: Forty-six unmedicated, school-aged children (mean age, 89.4 +/- 18.7 months; 74% male) diagnosed as having ADHD by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, criteria who had been screened for marked symptoms of sleep-disordered breathing, and 46 normal control children (mean age, 86.5 +/- 16.9 months; 70% male). INTERVENTION: None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Sleep habits and sleep disturbances reported by parents and children. RESULTS: Children with ADHD had significantly higher (more sleep-disturbed) scores on all sleep subscales of the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (parent measure) than did controls; average sleep duration as reported by parents was also significantly shorter in the ADHD group. Children with ADHD also reported their own sleep to be more disturbed than controls did on the Sleep Self-report, particularly on items relating to bedtime struggles (P range, .05-.001). There was a much higher correlation between parent and child sleep report items for the children with ADHD (mean correlation, 0.55) than for the control children. CONCLUSIONS: Sleep disturbances, particularly at bedtime, are frequently reported by both parents and children with ADHD. Children undergoing evaluation for ADHD should be routinely screened for sleep disturbances, especially symptoms of sleep-disordered breathing. The causes of sleep-onset delay in children with ADHD should be considered in designing intervention strategies for children with difficulty falling and staying asleep.     

上海市松江区学龄前儿童睡眠状况和睡眠问题的横断面调查

目的调查学龄前儿童的睡眠情况，分析不同特征学龄前儿童的常见睡眠问题。方法在普遍动员、自愿参与的原则下，以上海市松江区幼儿园作为问卷调查现场，以《儿童家族社会环境与睡眠健康问卷》作为调查工具，以年龄和性别分层分析。睡眠问题包括睡眠不足，就寝延迟，睡眠中发生每周＞2次的以下情况：害怕就寝、打鼾、白天嗜睡、磨牙、夜惊、梦魇、入睡困难和梦游。先对幼儿园保健老师集中统一培训，保健老师再对幼儿园班主任进行培训。问卷填写人为幼儿父或母或抚养人且近１年与幼儿一起生活。当场发放问卷、填写和回收。结果2018年5~6月22所幼儿园参与问卷调查，向儿童家长发放问卷8 624份，有效问卷8 586份，男孩4 595名(53.5%)，女孩3 991名； 3~岁占17.8%、4~岁占34.1%、5~岁占32.0%、6~岁占16.1%。平均晚上就寝时间为21∶43，平均晨醒时间为7∶01，随年龄增长，白天、夜间和全天睡眠时间总量在减少，晚上就寝时间点延迟，平均晨醒时间点提前，差异有统计学意义（P＜0.01）。不同性别学龄前儿童白天、夜间、全天睡眠总量和就寝时间，差异均无统计学意义（P＞0.05）。睡眠不足的发生率为12.2%，就寝延迟的发生率为75.7%。随年龄增长，睡眠不足和就寝延迟的发生率逐渐增加，差异有统计意义(P＜0.05)。害怕就寝72.4%，打鼾62.5%，白天嗜睡51.2%，磨牙50.4%，夜惊49.2%，梦魇41.2%，入睡困难33.4%，梦游4.4%。打鼾和磨牙的发生率男童高于女童（P＜0.05），夜惊、梦魇、入睡困难和梦游的发生率女童高于男童（P＜0.05）。结论上海市松江区学龄前儿童睡眠时间不足，就寝延迟，睡眠问题发生率高，应引起社会及家长的重视。     

上海市松江区学龄前儿童睡眠状况和睡眠问题的横断面调查

目的调查学龄前儿童的睡眠情况，分析不同特征学龄前儿童的常见睡眠问题。方法在普遍动员、自愿参与的原则下，以上海市松江区幼儿园作为问卷调查现场，以《儿童家族社会环境与睡眠健康问卷》作为调查工具，以年龄和性别分层分析。睡眠问题包括睡眠不足，就寝延迟，睡眠中发生每周＞2次的以下情况：害怕就寝、打鼾、白天嗜睡、磨牙、夜惊、梦魇、入睡困难和梦游。先对幼儿园保健老师集中统一培训，保健老师再对幼儿园班主任进行培训。问卷填写人为幼儿父或母或抚养人且近１年与幼儿一起生活。当场发放问卷、填写和回收。结果2018年5~6月22所幼儿园参与问卷调查，向儿童家长发放问卷8 624份，有效问卷8 586份，男孩4 595名(53.5%)，女孩3 991名； 3~岁占17.8%、4~岁占34.1%、5~岁占32.0%、6~岁占16.1%。平均晚上就寝时间为21∶43，平均晨醒时间为7∶01，随年龄增长，白天、夜间和全天睡眠时间总量在减少，晚上就寝时间点延迟，平均晨醒时间点提前，差异有统计学意义（P＜0.01）。不同性别学龄前儿童白天、夜间、全天睡眠总量和就寝时间，差异均无统计学意义（P＞0.05）。睡眠不足的发生率为12.2%，就寝延迟的发生率为75.7%。随年龄增长，睡眠不足和就寝延迟的发生率逐渐增加，差异有统计意义(P＜0.05)。害怕就寝72.4%，打鼾62.5%，白天嗜睡51.2%，磨牙50.4%，夜惊49.2%，梦魇41.2%，入睡困难33.4%，梦游4.4%。打鼾和磨牙的发生率男童高于女童（P＜0.05），夜惊、梦魇、入睡困难和梦游的发生率女童高于男童（P＜0.05）。结论上海市松江区学龄前儿童睡眠时间不足，就寝延迟，睡眠问题发生率高，应引起社会及家长的重视。     

Parent perceptions of child sleep: a study of 10,000 Swedish children

Aim: To gather normative data on parent‐reported child sleep and investigate what influences it. Methods: Subjective sleep report data on night wakings, sleep quality, bedtime and risetime were gathered from parents of around 10 000 children from birth to age 5 in a cohort questionnaire study. The data were analysed for trends, and sleep measures were compared with background factors such as child temperament, foreign origin, family situation, parents' age and education and night feedings. Results: The population trends were towards improved sleep with increasing age. Individual sleep patterns show some stability. Reports of frequent night wakings and low sleep quality (LSQ) were strongly associated with each other within and between the age groups (odds ratio [OR] 2.8–60.2, p < 0.001). Perception of poor child sleep was influenced by child temperament at ages 1 and 3 (OR 2.2–4.4, p < 0.001), foreign origin at age 1 (OR 2.1–2.3, p < 0.001), and to some extent, parents' age and education at ages 1–3 (OR 1.4–2.1, p < 0.05 or stronger), but not by single parent status or infant night feedings. Reporting multiple or unspecific causes of night wakings was associated with reporting LSQ (OR 1.8–4.7, p < 0.05 or stronger). Conclusion: With increasing age, fewer wakings, improved sleep quality and a more uniform sleep schedule seem normal. However, frequent wakings and low quality sleep at early ages seem surprisingly stable. A difficult temperament and foreign origin were associated with lower quality sleep and more frequent wakings in early ages, whereas being a single parent was not. Finally, night feeding does not seem to condition children to frequent wakings.