Sleep problems in Korean children with Down syndrome and parental quality of life

Abstract

Background Sleep problems are common among children with Down syndrome (DS), and they can have a serious impact on children with DS as well as their parents and other family members. Specific aims of this study were to evaluate parent‐reported sleep problems in children with DS and to examine the relationship between the sleep behaviour of children with DS and their parents' quality of life (QOL). Method A cross‐sectional survey was conducted in September and October of 2017. Parents of children with DS were recruited from an online self‐support community for parents of children with DS in South Korea. The mean age of the parents and children with DS was 40.40 years (SD = 5.09) and 7.89 years (SD = 3.03), respectively. Children's sleep problems and parents' QOL were assessed using the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire and the abbreviated version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life scale, respectively. Results Results revealed that 83% of the parents reported that their child with DS experienced sleep problems. Children with DS had significantly more bedtime resistance, night waking, parasomnias and sleep‐disordered breathing than did typically developing children. In addition, their Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire scores were higher than those of typically developing children. Moreover, being older, being male and having more severe developmental delays were significant risk factors for sleep problems among children with DS. Furthermore, sleep problems in children with DS negatively affected parents' QOL. Conclusions Sleep problems negatively affect children with DS as well as their parents; therefore, health care providers should be aware of these issues and help parents manage sleep problems proactively.

Characterization of Sleep Disturbances in Children and Adolescents with Down Syndrome and Their Relation with Cognitive and Behavioral Features

“…Thus, sleep problems may worsen learning and behavioral problems in children with DS. In fact, it has been well documented how sleep disturbances affect their school performance, limit social interactions, interfere with the accomplishment of daily activities, and affect the quality of life in their parents [ 17 , 25 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 ]. Because of the prevalence among people with DS, sleep breathing disorders and associated neuropsychological and psychopathological features have been largely investigated; however, less is known about the neuropsychological and psychopathological correlates of other sleep disturbances.…”

Behavioural sleep problems in children and adults with intellectual disabilities: An integrative literature review

“…Furthermore, parental physical and emotional wellbeing are also negatively impacted when the child has frequent disturbed sleep. Cross‐sectional and longitudinal effects have been found on reduced parental wellbeing, with greater deterioration following sleep disturbances that extended over a prolonged period of time (Choi et al, 2019; Esbensen et al, 2021; Mori et al, 2019).…”

Sleep Quality in a Case-control Subset of Trisomy 21 and Typically Developing Children in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

“…A recent cross-sectional study in South Korea 22 sheds light on the male gender, older age, and greater developmental delay as the cardinal risk factors for sleep problems in children with T21. Although our sample had a younger age group than the South Korean study, there does seem to be a vicious cycle involved if sleep problems begin and are unaddressed then they will lead to daytime somnolence that affects learning and will further exacerbate the developmental delay, which in turn affects the sleep quality.…”

“…As a matter of fact, our findings of higher Mallampati score and macroglossia are in fact in accordance with the South Korean study and a prior study conducted in Japan where certain anatomical factors including and not limited to tonsillar and adenoidal hypertrophy, macroglossia and hypotonia were more relevant markers of parent-reported sleep problems than a higher body mass index. 22,23 Additionally, lip incompetence suggests a sign of mouth breathing to overcome the OSA. Both the tongue ridging and wear facets forewarn of SB, which is exacerbated in a sleep condition, as is seen in our sample.…”