Sleep, chronotype, and sleep hygiene in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum

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K B van der Heijden1,2, R J Stoffelsen3, A Popma3,4

  • 1Department of Clinical Child and Adolescent Studies, Leiden University, Wassenaarseweg 52, Box 9555, 2300 RB, Leiden, The Netherlands. kbheijden@fsw.leidenuniv.nl.

European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
|July 10, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience frequent sleep problems. These issues are linked to sleep hygiene and chronotype, with specific differences between ADHD, ASD, and typically developing children.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Sleep Medicine
  • Neurodevelopmental Disorders
  • Child Psychology

Background:

  • Sleep problems are common in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
  • Understanding the underlying mechanisms of sleep disturbances is crucial for developing effective interventions.
  • This study investigates factors influencing sleep in children with ADHD, ASD, and typical development (TD).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the associations between sleep problems and sleep patterns with sleep hygiene, electronic media access, chronotype, and anxiety/depression in children with ADHD, ASD, and TD.
  • To identify differences in these associations across the three groups.
  • To inform clinical strategies for managing sleep issues in pediatric populations.

Main Methods:

  • Parental questionnaires were used to collect data from children aged 6-12 years with ADHD, ASD, or TD.
  • Analyses included ANOVA and linear regression, adjusted for age and sex.
  • Key variables assessed were sleep problems, sleep duration, sleep hygiene, electronic media use, chronotype, and anxiety/depression.

Main Results:

  • Children with ADHD and ASD reported significantly more sleep problems and shorter sleep duration compared to TD children.
  • Worse sleep hygiene was associated with more sleep problems in ASD and TD groups, but not significantly in the ADHD group.
  • Evening chronotype was linked to sleep problems in ADHD and TD groups, while electronic media access was associated with sleep problems only in TD children.
  • Anxiety and depression were associated with sleep problems in ADHD and TD groups, but did not moderate other factors.

Conclusions:

  • Sleep problems are highly prevalent in both ADHD and ASD, with distinct contributing factors.
  • In ASD, sleep problems are linked to inadequate sleep hygiene; in ADHD, they are associated with evening chronotype.
  • In typically developing children, both sleep hygiene and chronotype play a role in sleep problems.
  • These findings highlight the need for tailored interventions for sleep disturbances in neurodevelopmental disorders.

Keywords:
ADHDAutism spectrum disorderChildrenChronotypeSleepSleep hygiene

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