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External validity of children's self-reported sleep functioning: associations with academic, social, and behavioral

Stephen P Becker1

  • 1Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.

Sleep Medicine
|August 6, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Children

Area of Science:

  • Child Psychology
  • Sleep Medicine
  • Educational Psychology

Background:

  • Child self-report sleep measures are common, but their external validity is under-examined.
  • Limited research exists on the link between children's sleep perception and their daily functioning.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between child-reported sleep and teacher-rated psychopathology.
  • To test if child-reported sleep problems predict poorer functioning, controlling for demographics and known adjustment factors.

Main Methods:

  • 175 children (grades 1-6) and their teachers participated.
  • Children completed the Sleep Self-Report; teachers rated psychopathology (ADHD, conduct, anxiety/depression).
  • Academic, behavioral, and social/peer functioning were assessed by both children and teachers.

Main Results:

  • Child sleep reports correlated with teacher-rated inattentive and internalizing symptoms, independent of demographics and conduct issues.
  • After controlling for demographics and psychopathology, poor child-reported sleep was linked to worse academic, behavioral, and social functioning.
  • Specific negative outcomes included increased aggression, peer rejection, loneliness, and lower self-worth and friendship satisfaction.

Conclusions:

  • Child self-reported sleep functioning demonstrates initial external validity.
  • Assessing children's sleep perceptions may be clinically valuable for screening sleep problems.
  • Future research should incorporate parent reports to further validate children's sleep ratings.
Abstract

Keywords:
AnxietyAssessmentAttention problemsDepressionSchool functioningSelf-esteemSleep problemsSocial functioning

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