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Prevalence and course of sleep problems in childhood

Leonie Fricke-Oerkermann1, Julia Plück, Michael Schredl

  • 1Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Cologne, Germany. Leonie.Fricke@uni-koeln.de

Sleep
|November 1, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Many children experience sleep onset difficulties, with about 30-40% affected. These sleep problems can be transient or persistent, highlighting the need for early intervention in children and adolescents.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Sleep Medicine
  • Child Psychology

Background:

  • Sleep difficulties are common in childhood.
  • Understanding the prevalence and course of these issues is crucial for effective intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the prevalence and longitudinal course of sleep onset and sleep maintenance difficulties in children.
  • To compare self-reports and parental reports on childhood sleep problems.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal study design involving 832 children (mean age 9.4-11.7 years) and their parents.
  • Annual surveys using questionnaires over three years.
  • Data collected through self-reports and parental reports.

Main Results:

  • Approximately 30-40% of children reported difficulties initiating sleep at the first assessment.
  • One year later, 60% of those with initial difficulties continued to experience them, while 40% improved.
  • Difficulties maintaining sleep were less prevalent than difficulties initiating sleep.
  • Children generally reported more sleep difficulties than their parents.

Conclusions:

  • Childhood sleep difficulties, particularly initiating sleep, can be persistent.
  • Inclusion of children and adolescents in diagnostic and therapeutic processes for sleep disorders is recommended.
Abstract

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