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Frequent nightmares in children: familial aggregation and associations with parent-reported behavioral and mood

Shirley Xin Li1, Mandy Wai Man Yu, Siu Ping Lam

  • 1Department of Psychiatry, 2Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR.

Sleep
|April 5, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Frequent nightmares in children are linked to behavioral issues and comorbid sleep problems like insomnia. Parental nightmares and lower family income also correlate with children's frequent nightmares.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Sleep Medicine
  • Child Psychology
  • Behavioral Science

Background:

  • Frequent nightmares in children are a common concern.
  • Understanding their prevalence and associated factors is crucial for effective intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the prevalence, correlates, and familial aggregation of frequent nightmares in children.
  • To examine the association between frequent nightmares and parent-reported behavioral and mood problems.

Main Methods:

  • Cross-sectional study involving 6359 children and their parents.
  • Data collected on sociodemographics, sleep, behavior, and family factors.
  • Multinomial regression analysis used to identify associations.

Main Results:

  • Prevalence of frequent nightmares (≥1/week) was 5.2%.
  • Associated factors include family income, parental nightmares, insomnia, parasomnia, and daytime consequences.
  • Frequent nightmares linked to hyperactivity, temper outbursts, and poor academic performance.
  • Comorbid insomnia in children with nightmares increased odds of hyperactivity and mood disturbance.

Conclusions:

  • Frequent nightmares in children are associated with child, sleep, and family factors, including parental history and socioeconomic status.
  • Comorbid sleep problems like insomnia and parasomnia are significant correlates.
  • Frequent nightmares are independently associated with emotional and behavioral problems in children.
Abstract

Keywords:
Nightmaresbehavioral and mood problemschildrenfamilial aggregation

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