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Psychophysiological Assessment of the Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Strategies in Childhood
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Emotional Intelligence in Children with Severe Sleep-Related Breathing Disorders

Francesca Felicia Operto1, Francesco Precenzano2, Ilaria Bitetti2

  • 1Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry, Medical School, University of Salerno, Italy.

Behavioural Neurology
|October 5, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Children with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) show lower emotional intelligence (EI) skills compared to healthy peers. Intermittent hypoxia in OSAS may impact EI, affecting interpersonal, adaptability, and stress management abilities.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Neurology
  • Sleep Medicine
  • Neuropsychology

Background:

  • Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) affects 4% of children, leading to long-term comorbidities.
  • Prefrontal cortex (PFC) alterations in OSAS may explain deficits in executive functions, memory, attention, and mood.
  • Emotional intelligence (EI) is a complex neuropsychological function potentially impaired in clinical conditions like OSAS.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare emotional intelligence skills between children with OSAS and healthy, non-OSAS children.
  • To identify specific EI domains affected by OSAS in pediatric populations.

Main Methods:

  • A comparative study involving 129 children with OSAS and 264 healthy children (nOSAS).
  • Participants were matched for gender, age, and socioeconomic status.
  • The Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventory: Youth Version (EQ-i:YV) was used to assess emotional quotient.

Main Results:

  • Significant differences in EI were observed between OSAS and nOSAS children.
  • Specifically, the Interpersonal, Adaptability, and Stress Management scales, along with the total EI score, were significantly lower in children with OSAS.

Conclusions:

  • Intermittent hypoxia associated with OSAS plays a role in the observed effects.
  • Sleep-related respiratory disorders impact cognitive and emotional aspects beyond physical impairments.
Abstract

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