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Updated: Feb 25, 2026

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Sleep Characteristics and Temperament in Preterm Children at Two Years of Age

Barbara Caravale1, Stefania Sette1, Eleonora Cannoni1

  • 1Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.

Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine : JCSM : Official Publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine
|August 2, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Preterm children experience more sleep disturbances and negative emotionality than full-term peers. These sleep issues are linked to attention deficits and increased motor activity in preterm infants.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Pediatrics
  • Sleep Medicine
  • Child Psychology

Background:

  • Preterm birth can impact neurodevelopment and behavior.
  • Understanding sleep patterns and temperament in early childhood is crucial for development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Compare sleep characteristics and temperament between preterm and full-term 2-year-olds.
  • Examine the relationship between sleep patterns, habits, and temperament in these groups.

Main Methods:

  • Included 51 preterm and 57 full-term children (mean age ~21 months).
  • Utilized Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC), Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaire (BISQ), and Italian Temperament Questionnaires (QUIT).

Main Results:

  • Preterm children had more sleep difficulties (restlessness, breathing issues) but needed less sleep support.
  • Preterm children exhibited lower attention and higher negative emotionality.
  • Sleep problems correlated with motor activity, social orientation, attention, and emotionality.

Conclusions:

  • Preterm children demonstrate significant sleep pattern disturbances and negative emotionality.
  • Attention problems and negative emotionality are associated with sleep disruption in preterm infants.
Abstract

Keywords:
preterm childrensleeptemperament

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