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Sleep disturbances in Malaysian children with cerebral palsy

Raymond Warouw Atmawidjaja1, Sau Wei Wong, Wai Wai Yang

  • 1Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology
|February 18, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Children with cerebral palsy (CP) experience more sleep disturbances than their siblings. Caregiver sleep issues, like short duration or long latency, are linked to increased sleep problems in children with CP.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Neurology
  • Sleep Medicine
  • Developmental Pediatrics

Background:

  • Sleep disturbances are prevalent in children with cerebral palsy (CP).
  • Understanding the specific types and frequency of sleep issues in CP is crucial for targeted interventions.
  • Comparing sleep patterns in children with CP to their healthy siblings can highlight CP-specific challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare sleep disturbances in Malaysian children with CP (aged 4-18) to their healthy siblings.
  • To identify factors associated with sleep disturbances in children with CP.

Main Methods:

  • A case-control study involving 109 children with CP and 109 healthy siblings.
  • Sleep disturbances were assessed using the Sleep Disturbances Scale for Children (SDSC) questionnaire completed by caregivers.
  • Multiple regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with sleep scores in children with CP.

Main Results:

  • Children with CP had significantly higher scores on the Total SDSC and several subscales (sleep initiation/maintenance, breathing, transition, hyperhidrosis) compared to siblings.
  • Spastic CP was the most common type (89%), with a majority of CP patients at higher Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) levels (IV-V).
  • Caregiver sleep duration (<7 hours) and sleep latency (>30 minutes) were significantly associated with higher Total SDSC scores in children with CP.

Conclusions:

  • Sleep disturbances are more frequent in children with CP than in their healthy siblings.
  • Caregiver sleep quality and duration are important factors to consider when assessing sleep problems in children with CP.
  • Addressing caregiver sleep may be beneficial in managing sleep disturbances in this population.
Abstract

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