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Association Between Night Waking and Child Health During the First 3 Years of Life

Hui-Chin Hsu1

  • 1Department of Human Development and Family Science, University of Georgia, Athens, GA.

Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics : JDBP
|February 28, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Frequent night awakening in early childhood is linked to poorer health and more illnesses. However, a decrease in night awakenings over time is associated with improved child health trajectories.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Health
  • Child Development
  • Sleep Science

Background:

  • Night awakening is a prevalent issue for parents and caregivers in early childhood.
  • It is recognized as a potential risk factor impacting child growth and development.
  • Understanding its associations with health is crucial for early intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the concurrent and longitudinal relationships between night awakening and child health.
  • To examine the associations with illness occurrences during the first three years of life.
  • To analyze age-related patterns in night awakenings and overall child health.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized longitudinal data from 1364 infants from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development.
  • Collected maternal reports on night awakening frequency, overall health, and illness at 6, 15, 24, and 36 months.
  • Employed structural equation modeling, including latent growth curve modeling, to analyze the data.

Main Results:

  • Observed curvilinear patterns in night awakening frequency and overall child health between 6 and 36 months.
  • More frequent night awakenings correlated with poorer health at 6 months.
  • A decline in night awakenings was linked to a slower decline in health over time and was associated with fewer illnesses up to 24 months, with this association diminishing by 36 months.

Conclusions:

  • Night awakening demonstrates both concurrent and longitudinal associations with adverse health outcomes and increased illness in early childhood.
  • The frequency and changes in night awakenings provide insights into a child's health trajectory.
  • These findings underscore the importance of addressing night awakening for promoting child well-being.
Abstract

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