Stability of Sleep Disorders From Preschool to First Grade and Their Bidirectional Relationship with Psychiatric Symptoms

Abstract

Objectives: To examine the prevalence and stability of DSM-4-defined sleep disorders from preschool to first grade and to explore the bidirectional relationship between sleep disorders and symptoms of psychiatric disorders. Method: All children born in 2003 or 2004 in Trondheim, Norway, who attended regular community health checkups for 4-year-olds, were invited to participate (97.2% attendance; 82.0% consent rate, n 5 2475) in this study. The authors recruited a screen-stratified subsample of 1250 children and interviewed 994 parents (79.6%) using a structured diagnostic interview (the Preschool Age Psychiatric Assessment). Two years later, 795 of the parents completed the interview. Results: There was stability in insomnia (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 5 4.03, confidence interval [CI] 5 2.83-5.75) and sleepwalking (adjusted OR 5 19.28, CI 5 4.53-82.10), whereas none of the children with hypersomnia or nightmare disorder at age 4 had the same disorder 2 years later. Insomnia increased the risk for developing symptoms of conduct disorder, major depressive disorder (MDD), and social phobia when the initial levels of insomnia were adjusted for. Symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, and MDD at age 4 were statistically linked to insomnia at age 6. Sleepwalking predicted later separation anxiety disorder, whereas hypersomnia was unrelated to symptoms of psychiatric disorders. Conclusion: Insomnia is a prevalent and stable disorder in children and is bidirectionally related to psychiatric symptoms. (J Dev Behav Pediatr 0:1-9, 2015)

Sleep and Self-Regulation from Birth to 7 Years

“…There were consistently stronger correlations among sleep problems and emotional dysregulation at each point from 2 to 3 years for the ADHD group compared to the no ADHD group. These findings are in contrast to those of Steinsbekk and Wichstrom, 25 who found evidence of ADHD symptoms contributing to later sleep problems across 4 to 6 years of age, but no evidence for the reverse. 1,47,48 We found evidence of reciprocal relations among sleep problems and emotional regulation in children with ADHD, which is consistent with our previous work.…”

“…Previous research has found robust associations between sleep and the development of attentional and emotional self-regulation capacities, including executive functioning in children with 24,25 and without ADHD. [26][27][28] Recently, the longitudinal bidirectional relationship among sleep problems and emotional and attentional regulation across early childhood have been documented in a population sample, 6 with the findings suggesting that sleep problems are a key early antecedent of later self-regulation problems.…”

Accumulation of rest deficiency precedes sudden death of epileptic Kv1.1 knockout mice, a model of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy

“…Seizures and sleep deprivation can exacerbate the presence of each other, thus creating a negative feed‐forward cycle . Moreover, studies report that more severe sleep deficiency is associated with greater degree of cognitive impairment, arrhythmias, and seizure severity . Here, we found that after epilepsy onset, young KO mice rest for similar amounts of time as WT mice.…”

“…Individuals (with and without epilepsy) who suffer from chronic sleep deficiency are more likely to experience cognitive impairments, cardiac arrhythmias, and apnea and to have shorter lifespans . There is a higher risk of premature mortality in epilepsy than the general population, with the incidence rate of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) approximating 1 in 1000 cases every year .…”

Sleep Problems in Childhood and Borderline Personality Disorder Symptoms in Early Adolescence

“…Touchette et al (2009) reported significant bi-directional associations between short night time sleep duration and hyperactivity trajectories across early childhood. Steinsbekk and Wichstrøm (2015) found that insomnia (DSM-IV criteria) increased risk of developing conduct disorder, major depressive disorder and social phobia, while Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and ODD predicted insomnia. As emotional, behavioural and social problems are precursors to (and core features of) youth BPD (Chanen et al 2007b), collectively these studies suggest that sleep problems may be linked to the development of BPD in young populations.…”