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. 2019 Nov:63:5-8.
doi: 10.1016/j.sleep.2019.05.003. Epub 2019 May 18.

Child sleep behaviors and sleep problems from infancy to school-age

Ariel A Williamson  1 , Jodi A Mindell  2 , Harriet Hiscock  3 , Jon Quach  4
Affiliations

Child sleep behaviors and sleep problems from infancy to school-age

Ariel A Williamson et al. Sleep Med. 2019 Nov.

Abstract

Objective: Few studies have examined the sleep behaviors associated with a caregiver-reported sleep problem beyond early childhood and across different age groups. This study examined sleep behaviors associated with a caregiver-reported sleep problem from birth to middle childhood.

Methods: Participants were 5107 children from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children-Birth Cohort. Caregiver-reported child sleep problems and sleep behaviors were assessed biennially from ages 0-1 to 10-11 years. Logistic regressions were used to examine associations between three child sleep behaviors (waking overnight, difficulty falling asleep, and difficulty sleeping alone) and the odds of having a caregiver-reported sleep problem at each age.

Results: Caregiver-reported child sleep problems were most prevalent in infancy (17.1%) and decreased through middle childhood (7.7%). All three sleep behaviors were associated with a sleep problem at each age. Whereas waking overnight was the most common sleep behavior and was associated with the highest odds of having a sleep problem from infancy to age 6-7 years (ORs = 5.78-8.29), difficulty falling asleep was the most common sleep behavior and was associated with the highest odds of having a sleep problem at ages 8-9 and 10-11 years (ORs = 10.65 and 17.78, respectively).

Conclusion: Caregivers' endorsement of a child sleep problem was associated with developmentally-relevant sleep behaviors, with night awakenings most relevant during infancy and difficulty falling asleep most relevant in middle childhood. Study findings have implications for targeted and developmentally-focused sleep problem screening questions in child healthcare settings. Future research examining additional indicators of caregiver-defined sleep problems is required.

Keywords: Development; Longitudinal; Pediatric; Sleep behaviors; Sleep problems.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest:

The authors have no conflicts of interest relevant to this article.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Prevalence of caregiver-reported sleep problems and sleep behaviors by age birth to age 10–11 years.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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