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Treatment of children's nighttime fears: the need for a modern randomised controlled trial

Jocelynne Gordon1, Neville J King, Eleonora Gullone

  • 1Monash University, Victoria, Australia. Jocelynne.Gordon@Education.monash.edu.au

Clinical Psychology Review
|August 29, 2006
PubMed

Insights

Psychosocial treatments effectively reduce children's nighttime fears, offering rapid relief for families. Cognitive-behavioral techniques are key to these successful interventions, providing lasting benefits.

Area of Science:

  • Child Psychology
  • Clinical Psychology
  • Mental Health Interventions

Background:

  • Nighttime fears in children are prevalent, causing significant distress and functional impairment for both the child and family.
  • There is a critical need for effective and cost-efficient interventions to address these common childhood fears.
  • Mental health professionals and counselors require evidence-based strategies for treating childhood sleep-related anxiety.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review and synthesize the findings of 29 studies on the efficacy of psychosocial treatments for children's nighttime fears.
  • To identify common methodologies and therapeutic techniques used in treating childhood nocturnal anxieties.
  • To provide recommendations for assessment and intervention based on the reviewed literature.

Main Methods:

  • A systematic review of 29 studies investigating psychosocial treatments for children's nighttime fears.
  • Analysis of study designs, primarily multiple baseline across-subject and between-group designs.
  • Examination of cognitive-behavioral techniques, including desensitization, emotive imagery, cognitive self-instruction, and reinforcement.

Main Results:

  • Most studies reported a rapid reduction in nighttime fears after only a few treatment sessions.
  • The maintenance of treatment gains was observed in the majority of the reviewed studies.
  • Cognitive-behavioral techniques were frequently employed and associated with positive outcomes.

Conclusions:

  • Psychosocial interventions, particularly those utilizing cognitive-behavioral techniques, are effective in treating children's nighttime fears.
  • Recommendations are provided for improved assessment and intervention strategies for clinicians.
  • Future research should include randomized clinical trials to further establish treatment efficacy and explore non-specific factors.

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