Sexual abuse and sleep in children and adolescents: A systematic review

Abstract

Childhood sexual abuse has pervasive effects on well-being and psychosocial functioning in children and adolescents, including negative impacts on sleep. This study aimed to systematically review and assess the literature documenting associations between childhood sexual abuse and sleep in minors (0-18 years old) and provide recommendations for future studies and clinical practice. A systematic search was conducted independently by two researchers in six databases. Inclusion criteria included English or French published articles and dissertations/theses/abstracts reporting original quantitative data examining at least a bivariate association between childhood sexual abuse and sleep. A total of 5031 titles and abstracts and 70 full articles were screened. The final sample included 26 studies. Most studies (88%) reported a significant association between childhood sexual abuse and several sleep dimensions (such as difficulty falling asleep, complaints of poor sleep, nightmares). Studies' quality, as rated using the National heart, lung, and blood institute's quality assessment tool, varied greatly: 23% were rated as good, 38.5% as fair, and 38.5% as poor. Childhood sexual abuse negatively impacts sleep in childhood and adolescence. These results inform future research, ideally with strong prospective/longitudinal designs and using more specific sleep measures, aiming to promote optimal sleep in sexually abused minors.

Keywords: Adolescents; Child sexual abuse (CSA); Children; Sleep; Sleep disturbance; Trauma.