Sleep Onset and Night Waking Insomnias in Preschoolers with Psychiatric Disorders

Boekamp, John R.; Williamson, Lauren R.; Martin, Sarah E.; Hunter, Heather L.; Anders, Thomas F.

doi:10.1007/s10578-014-0505-z

Cited by 6 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…We chose this approach for several reasons. First, sleep onset latency is the most prevalent sleep difficulty in psychiatric samples of preschoolers, with 23% of a preschool clinical sample demonstrating difficulties falling asleep (Boekamp, Williamson, Martin, Hunter, & Anders, ) and a recent meta‐analysis demonstrated longer sleep onset latency to be the most robust difference between adolescents with and without depression (Augustinavicius, Zanjani, Zakzanis, & Shapiro, ). In addition, refusal to sleep alone is one of the most common sleep disturbances in children with anxiety disorders (Alfano, Ginsburg, & Kingery, ) and refusal to sleep alone is often the reason children with symptoms of anxiety are brought in/referred for clinical treatment (Eisen & Schaefer, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variation in common preschool sleep problems as an early predictor for depression and anxiety symptom severity across time

Whalen

Gilbert

Deanna

et al. 2016

Child Psychology Psychiatry

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Background Child and adolescent psychopathology has been linked to increased sleep problems, but there has been less investigation of this relationship in younger samples with early-onset psychopathology. This study examined three specific but commonly observed aspects of sleep behaviors in young children-- 1. Sleep onset latency, 2. Refusal to sleep alone, and 3. Nighttime awakenings -- measured during preschool, and investigated whether these sleep problems predicted anxiety and/or depression across the next six years until school age (ages 9–13). Methods Data were analyzed from N = 292 participants from a prospective longitudinal study of preschool-age children (ages 3–6). At baseline, parent-reported clinical interviews of psychiatric symptoms, as well as sleep problems were conducted using the Preschool-Age Psychiatric Assessment (PAPA). Follow-up clinical interviews were also conducted annually through school-age using the Childhood and Adolescent Psychiatric Assessment (CAPA). Results Parent reported sleep onset latency and refusal to sleep alone were significant independent predictors of MDD and anxiety severity, but not ADHD severity across time, even after controlling for family income-to-needs ratio and maternal internalizing psychopathology. In exploratory analyses using only healthy preschoolers, parent reported sleep onset latency and refusal to sleep alone also predicted anxiety severity. Conclusions We demonstrate that specific, yet relatively common sleep problems predict diagnostic severity of depression and anxiety across time, but not ADHD. Increased clinical attention to and screening for sleep onset latency and refusal to sleep alone during preschool may be warranted.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variation in common preschool sleep problems as an early predictor for depression and anxiety symptom severity across time

Whalen

Gilbert

Deanna

et al. 2016

Child Psychology Psychiatry

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“…A recent study showed that 41% of preschoolers admitted to an early childhood psychiatric day treatment program suffered from insomnia ( n = 183, mean age = 50.4 months) [19]. However, this sample only included children with emotional and behavioral diagnoses and therefore excluded children with developmental coordination disorder and communication disorders.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sleep Difficulties in Preschoolers with Psychiatric Diagnoses

Chénier-Leduc

Béliveau

Dubois‐Comtois

et al. 2019

IJERPH

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Background: Sleep problems among preschoolers are highly prevalent. Given the impact of poor sleep quality on development, this relationship is particularly relevant in vulnerable populations but is less documented. This study aims to document parental perception of sleep problems in preschoolers assessed in a psychiatric clinic, as a function of diagnosis type. Methods: Children (14–71 months, n = 228) were evaluated by a psychiatrist, and diagnoses were pooled into four categories: behavioral disorders, relational disorders/psychosocial problems, developmental coordination disorder (DCD), and communication disorders. Sleep problems were measured using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Results: In this clinical sample of preschoolers, 21.6% of children were identified as having a sleep problem by their parents. Behavioral disorders and communication disorders were associated with increased parental report of sleep problems (respectively, trouble falling asleep and nighttime awakenings), while DCD was associated with lower parental report of sleep problems (fewer nighttime awakenings and less difficulty falling asleep) (p < 0.05). Relational disorders were not associated with parental reports of sleep difficulties (p > 0.05). Moreover, some psychiatric categories were associated with specific sleep symptoms (such as difficulty falling asleep and night awakenings). Conclusion: Parents of preschoolers with behavioral disorders and communication disorders are more likely to report sleep problems in their children than parents of preschoolers with DCD and relational disorders. Since different categories of psychiatric disorders are associated with specific types of sleep complaints, screening, and treatment should be adapted accordingly.

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