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. 2007 Oct;30(10):1371-7.
doi: 10.1093/sleep/30.10.1371.

Prevalence and course of sleep problems in childhood

Leonie Fricke-Oerkermann  1 , Julia Plück, Michael Schredl, Kathrin Heinz, Alexander Mitschke, Alfred Wiater, Gerd Lehmkuhl
Affiliations

Prevalence and course of sleep problems in childhood

Leonie Fricke-Oerkermann et al. Sleep. 2007 Oct.

Abstract

Study objectives: The Cologne Children's Sleep Study intended to provide information on prevalence and course of difficulties of initiating and maintaining sleep in childhood.

Design: Longitudinal study.

Setting: Children of the fourth grade of elementary schools in Cologne.

Participants: 832 children and their parents; the mean age of the children was 9.4, 10.7, and 11.7 years at the 3 assessments.

Measurements and results: Children and parents were surveyed using questionnaires 3 times on an annual basis. In self- and parental reports, about 30%-40% of the children of the longitudinal sample had problems falling asleep at the first assessment. One year later, about 30% to 40% of these children did not describe any difficulties initiating sleep, whereas about 60% did report continuing difficulties initiating sleep. Difficulties maintaining sleep are less common in childhood. The analysis of self- and parental reports revealed that in general children described significantly more difficulties initiating and maintaining sleep than their parents report.

Conclusions: Difficulties initiating and maintaining sleep may be transient or persistent. In practice, children and adolescents should be included in the diagnostic and therapeutic process.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Parent-reported sleep onset problems from term t1 to term t3 (n = 832). →Number of cases in which sleep pattern did not change ↘Number of cases in which sleep pattern changed for the positive ↗Number of cases in which sleep pattern changed for the negative
Figure 2
Figure 2
Self-reported sleep onset problems from term t1 to term t3 (n = 832). →Number of cases in which sleep pattern did not change ↘Number of cases in which sleep pattern changed for the positive ↗Number of cases in which sleep pattern changed for the negative
Figure 3
Figure 3
Parent-reported difficulties maintaining sleep from term t1 to term t3 (n = 832). →Number of cases in which sleep pattern did not change ↘Number of cases in which sleep pattern changed for the positive ↗Number of cases in which sleep pattern changed for the negative
Figure 4
Figure 4
Self-reported difficulties maintaining sleep from term t1 to term t3 (n = 832). →Number of cases in which sleep pattern did not change ↘Number of cases in which sleep pattern changed for the positive ↗Number of cases in which sleep pattern changed for the negative
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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