First effects of a multicomponent treatment for sleep disorders in children

Abstract

Insomnia in children is a common disorder, yet only few child-specific treatment modalities exist so far. The goal of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a multicomponent intervention program for children with insomnia at 5–10 years of age and their parents. The program was a structured six-session behavioral and hypnotherapeutic group treatment with three sessions for the children and three for their parents. Thirty-eight children (5.1–10.9 years) were randomly assigned to the specific treatment condition or waiting list plus sleep diary control condition. Twenty-two children participated in the treatment group and 16 in the control group. All children suffered from insomnia according to the International Classification of Sleep Disorders criteria. Sleep symptoms were assessed with a sleep diary and the German version of the Children Sleep Habit Questionnaire (CSHQ) and the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC). Although both conditions showed a significant decrease in several sleep symptoms, the treatment group exhibited a significantly greater improvement with regard to CSHQ and SDSC total scores as well as in several sleep parameters, reflecting the most important features of the intervention program, such as bedtime, sleep-related anxiety, night waking, and sleeping in parents’ bed. By contrast, the control group’s data revealed only unspecific effects. These pilot data suggest that insomnia in childhood can be treated effectively with this child-specific multicomponent group treatment.

A Single Arm Pilot Trial of Brief Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia in Adolescents with Physical and Psychiatric Comorbidities

“…[7][8][9] However, most of these trials and existing pilot studies have excluded youth with comorbid mental and physical health conditions. [9][10][11] Indeed, to date, only two small trials of CBT-I have included youth with any comorbid mental health condition (i.e., depression 12 ; substance use 13 ).…”

A new diagnostic tool for children with sleep disorders

“…(no or insufficient information), "1" (criterion not met), "2" (criterion not fully met) and "3" (criterion fully met). Validation of the DIKS showed test-retest and inter-rater reliability values of κ>0.80 [26].…”

“…The DIKS parental interview for sleep disorders in children [26] is a structured parental interview for the diagnosis of sleep disorders in children aged 5-10 years. It comprises all sleep disorder diagnoses and isolated symptoms of the ICSD-2 that are relevant for sleep disorders in children.…”

Intervenção comportamental para problemas de sono na infância

“…Quanto ao formato da intervenção, a revisão da literatura de Mindell et al (2006) (Mindell et al, 2006;Reid et al, 1999;Schlarb, Velten--Schurian, Poets & Hautzinger, 2011) com problemas de sono em crianças.…”

“…A literatura (Mindell et al, 2006;Morgenthaler et al, 2006;Schlarb et al, 2011) aponta a necessidade de pesquisas que avaliem o impacto da intervenção no comportamento e humor da criança, no sono e no comportamento dos cuidadores, bem como a utilização de medidas objetivas (como os actígrafos) para a avaliação dos padrões de sono.…”