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Behavioural treatment for sleep problems in children with severe intellectual disabilities and daytime challenging

L Wiggs1, G Stores

  • 1University of Oxford, Section of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Park Hospital for Children, Headington, UK. lucinda.wiggs@psych.ox.ac.uk

British Journal of Health Psychology
|November 5, 2003
PubMed

Insights

Behavioral interventions for childhood sleep problems significantly improved maternal mental health, reducing stress and increasing satisfaction. Fathers experienced some benefits, but effects varied, highlighting the need for family-centered approaches.

Area of Science:

  • Child Psychology
  • Parental Mental Health
  • Sleep Science

Background:

  • Childhood sleep problems are prevalent and can significantly impact parental well-being.
  • Behavioral interventions are a common approach to address these issues.
  • Understanding the differential impact on mothers and fathers is crucial for comprehensive family support.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the mental state of mothers and fathers after a successful behavioral intervention for their children's sleep problems.
  • To compare the effects of the intervention on parental stress, sleepiness, locus of control, perceived control, and sleep satisfaction.

Main Methods:

  • A randomized controlled trial involving 30 families with children experiencing severe sleep problems and challenging behaviors.
  • 15 families received behavioral intervention for the child's sleep issues, while 15 control families received no treatment.
  • Parental mental state was assessed using validated measures of stress, sleepiness, locus of control, perceived control, and sleep satisfaction.

Main Results:

  • Mothers in the treatment group reported reduced stress, increased perceived control, and greater satisfaction with their sleep, their child's sleep, and coping abilities.
  • Fathers experienced increased satisfaction with their own and their child's sleep, but a tendency towards reduced perceived control.
  • Improvements in maternal sleepiness and perceived control, and parental satisfaction were observed in both treatment and control groups, suggesting potential non-specific study effects.

Conclusions:

  • The impact of resolving childhood sleep problems through behavioral interventions differs between mothers and fathers.
  • Comprehensive assessment of all family members is necessary to optimize support strategies.
  • Non-specific effects of study participation may contribute to therapeutic outcomes, warranting further investigation.
Abstract

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