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Published on: October 11, 2018
Sleep of children living in institutional care facilities
1Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt. maha_korany71@yahoo.com
Insights
Sleep problems like bedtime resistance and daytime sleepiness are common in institutionalized children. These issues were more prevalent in children with later bedtimes and shorter sleep durations.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Sleep Medicine
- Child Psychology
- Institutional Care Research
Background:
- Sleep disturbances are prevalent in children.
- Institutionalized children may face unique challenges affecting sleep.
- Understanding sleep patterns in this population is crucial for well-being.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize sleep patterns and identify common sleep problems in institutionalized children.
- To investigate the prevalence of specific sleep issues such as bedtime resistance, daytime sleepiness, and night awakenings.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving 118 children aged 4-12 years residing in six institutional care facilities.
- Caregivers completed the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ) to gather data on sleep habits and problems.
Main Results:
- The average bedtime was 9:05 PM, with wake-up time at 6:58 AM, yielding a total sleep duration of 10 hours.
- Night sleep duration averaged 9.5 hours, and 34.7% of children took daytime naps.
- Bedtime resistance, daytime sleepiness, and night awakenings were the most frequently reported sleep problems.
Conclusions:
- Sleep problems are highly prevalent in institutionalized children.
- Factors such as later bedtimes, insufficient night sleep, and daytime napping are associated with more disturbed sleep patterns.
Purpose:
To describe sleep patterns and problems among institutionalized children.
Methods:
In this cross-sectional study, the caregivers of 118 children, aged 4-12 years from six institutional care facilities completed the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ).
Results:
The mean (±SD) of night bedtime was 21:05 ± 2:52, mean morning wake-up time was 06:58 ± 0:31, mean total sleep duration was 10 ± 1.1 h, and mean night-sleep duration was 9.5 ± 0.9 h. The percentage of children who took a daytime nap was 34.7% (n = 41) and the mean duration of nap was 0.5 ± 0.7 h. The most frequently reported sleep problems were bedtime resistance, daytime sleepiness and night awakening. Children with bedtime at or after 9 PM, night-sleep duration less than 10 h and daytime napping had more disturbed sleep.
Conclusions:
Sleep problems are common among this sample of institutionalized children.
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