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Child sleep disorders: associations with parental sleep duration and daytime sleepiness

Julie Boergers1, Chantelle Hart, Judith A Owens

  • 1Brown Medical School, Providence, RI, USA. Julie_Boergers@brown.edu

Journal of Family Psychology : JFP : Journal of the Division of Family Psychology of the American Psychological Association (Division 43)
|March 21, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Childhood sleep disorders are linked to parental daytime sleepiness. Mothers with children experiencing sleep issues reported more sleepiness than fathers, suggesting a connection between child and maternal sleep patterns.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Sleep Medicine
  • Family Health
  • Psychology

Background:

  • Childhood sleep disorders are prevalent and can impact family well-being.
  • Parental functioning may be affected by a child's sleep problems.
  • Understanding the interplay between child and parental sleep is crucial for comprehensive care.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the associations between childhood sleep disorders and parental sleep duration and daytime sleepiness.
  • To explore potential differences in these associations between mothers and fathers.
  • To examine how the number of child sleep disorders relates to parental sleep experiences.

Main Methods:

  • A cross-sectional study involving 107 families with children (ages 2-12) attending a pediatric sleep clinic.
  • Questionnaires were used to assess sleep symptoms in children, mothers, and fathers.
  • Statistical analyses were performed to identify associations between child sleep disorders and parental sleep parameters.

Main Results:

  • Parents of children with multiple sleep disorders reported higher levels of daytime sleepiness.
  • A stronger association was observed between maternal sleep and child sleep compared to paternal sleep.
  • Mothers reported significantly more daytime sleepiness than fathers, irrespective of sleep duration.

Conclusions:

  • Childhood sleep problems are associated with parental daytime sleepiness, particularly in mothers.
  • These findings highlight the importance of considering parental sleep health in the context of pediatric sleep disorders.
  • Interventions for childhood sleep issues may benefit from addressing parental sleep quality and daytime functioning.

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