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Sleep duration and regularity are associated with behavioral problems in 8-year-old children

Anu-Katriina Pesonen1, Katri Räikkönen, E Juulia Paavonen

  • 1Department of Psychology and Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 9, Helsinki 00014, Finland. anukatriina.pesonen@helsinki.fi

International Journal of Behavioral Medicine
|October 22, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Sufficient sleep duration and regular sleep schedules are crucial for children's psychological well-being. Short sleep is linked to attention and externalizing issues, while irregular sleep is associated with internalizing problems.

Area of Science:

  • Child psychology
  • Sleep science
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Limited understanding of how normal variations in children's sleep duration and regularity impact psychological well-being.
  • Objective assessment of sleep is crucial for understanding its significance.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between sleep duration, sleep regularity, and behavioral/emotional problems in 8-year-old children.
  • To examine associations using parent-reported data.

Main Methods:

  • Correlational study of children born in 1998, with sleep objectively measured via actigraphy for seven nights.
  • Maternal and paternal ratings of child behavior using the Child Behavior Checklist were collected.
  • Data collected in 2006 from an epidemiological sample.

Main Results:

  • Short sleep duration correlated with increased risk of behavioral problems, thought problems, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms (maternal reports).
  • Paternal reports linked short sleep to rule-breaking and externalizing behaviors.
  • Irregular sleep duration (weekday vs. weekend) was associated with internalizing symptoms (paternal reports).

Conclusions:

  • Emphasizes the importance of adequate sleep duration and consistent sleep patterns.
  • Short sleep is specifically linked to attentional control and externalizing behaviors.
  • Sleep irregularity is particularly associated with internalizing problems in children.
Abstract

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