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Updated: Jun 1, 2026

Psychophysiological Assessment of the Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Strategies in Childhood
08:09

Psychophysiological Assessment of the Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Strategies in Childhood

Published on: February 11, 2017

Sleep, emotional and behavioral difficulties in children and adolescents

Alice M Gregory1, Avi Sadeh

  • 1Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths, University of London, UK. a.gregory@gold.ac.uk

Sleep Medicine Reviews
|June 17, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Sleep problems are complexly linked to child psychopathology, affecting anxiety, depression, and attention disorders. Further research should use multi-methods and large-scale studies to understand these bidirectional relationships.

Area of Science:

  • Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
  • Sleep Medicine
  • Developmental Psychology

Background:

  • Sleep disturbances are prevalent in various childhood psychopathologies.
  • The relationship between sleep and psychopathology is complex and bidirectional.
  • Alterations in normal sleep patterns are observed in anxiety, depression, and attention disorders.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review key findings on the links between sleep and associated difficulties in childhood and adolescence.
  • To propose potential mechanisms underlying these associations.
  • To suggest future research directions.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review summarizing key findings.
  • Discussion of proposed underlying mechanisms.
  • Identification of research gaps and recommendations.

Main Results:

  • Sleep problems are significantly associated with child psychopathology.
  • Bidirectional links exist between sleep disturbances and emotional/behavioral difficulties.
  • Several potential mechanisms mediate the sleep-psychopathology relationship.

Conclusions:

  • Understanding the intricate links between sleep and psychopathology is crucial for effective interventions.
  • Future research should employ multi-method, large-scale, and interdisciplinary approaches.
  • Controlled experiments are needed to establish causality between sleep variations and psychopathology.

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