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Survey of sleep problems amongst Singapore children in a psychiatric setting

Rathi Mahendran1, Mythily Subramaniam, Yiming Cai

  • 1Institute of Mental Health, 10, Buangkok View, Singapore, 539747. Rathi_Mahendran@imh.com.sg

Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology
|May 30, 2006
PubMed

Insights

Sleep problems affect over 60% of children in Singaporean psychiatric services. Girls, those with developmental disorders, and a family history of sleep issues were more likely to experience them.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Psychiatry
  • Child Psychology
  • Sleep Medicine

Background:

  • Sleep problems are prevalent in children, impacting health, learning, and mental well-being.
  • Associations exist between childhood sleep disturbances and behavioral/emotional symptoms.
  • Chronic sleep issues include snoring, somnambulism, and bedwetting.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the prevalence of sleep problems in children and adolescents at Singaporean psychiatric services.
  • To identify factors associated with sleep problems in this pediatric population.

Main Methods:

  • A questionnaire was administered to 490 parents/guardians of children attending a child guidance clinic.
  • Data collected included sociodemographics, sleep problem frequency (e.g., nightmares, enuresis), and psychiatric diagnoses.
  • Psychiatric diagnoses were confirmed via case record review.

Main Results:

  • Over 62% of children experienced at least one sleep problem.
  • Girls showed a significantly higher prevalence of sleep problems compared to boys.
  • Key predictors included female gender, developmental disorder diagnosis, and family history of sleep problems.

Conclusions:

  • Sleep disturbances are common in children and adolescents seeking psychiatric care.
  • Child and adolescent psychiatrists should actively screen for sleep problems, as they may not be spontaneously reported.
Abstract

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