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Short‐term prospective study of sleep disturbances in 5–8‐year‐old children
Author(s) -
Smedje H,
Broman JE,
Hetta J
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
acta pædiatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/j.1651-2227.2001.tb01613.x
Subject(s) - bedtime , medicine , sleep (system call) , baseline (sea) , pediatrics , prospective cohort study , audiology , psychiatry , oceanography , computer science , geology , operating system
The course and psychological correlates of disturbed sleep during middle childhood were investigated using parents' responses to questionnaires. Five specified sleep disturbances were explored in 614 5–8‐y‐old children, at baseline and at follow‐up, 14 ± 3 mo later. Difficulties falling asleep, in 6.2% of the children at baseline, persisted in 47.4% of the cases at follow‐up; night‐waking, in 18.6% at baseline, persisted in 45.5%; snoring, in 9.4% at baseline, persisted in 60%; nightmares, in 4.4% at baseline, persisted in 29.6%, and bedwetting, in 6% at baseline, persisted in 46%. Moreover, children with difficulties falling asleep at baseline frequently displayed bedtime resistance and shorter sleep at follow‐up, while night‐waking at baseline was related to co‐sleeping at follow‐up. Snoring at baseline was associated with a trend towards restless sleep at follow‐up. Nightmares at baseline were related to several other sleep complaints as well as to behavioural difficulties during daytime at follow‐up. Bedwetting at baseline was associated with tendencies towards hyperactivity at follow‐up. Separate analyses of cases of persisting sleep disturbances showed that persisting difficulties falling asleep were associated with a need to remedy sleep problems, while persisting nightmares were strongly related to reports suggesting behavioural and emotional problems. Conclusion : During middle childhood, difficulties falling asleep, night‐waking, snoring, nightmares or bedwetting commonly persist over the course of a year. Persistent nightmares frequently indicate significant psychological problems in affected children.