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Association between colic and sleep problems in infancy and subsequent development, emotional and behavioral
Lisbeth Valla1, Milada Cvancarova Småstuen2, Randi Andenæs2
1Department of Nursing and Health promotion,Faculty of Health Sciences, Oslo Metropolitan University, Oslo, Norway. lisbeth.valla@oslomet.no.
Insights
Infant colic and sleep issues at 6 months are linked to developmental delays and increased internalizing behaviors by age 5. These early childhood problems are significant risk factors for later behavioral and developmental challenges.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Child Health
- Pediatric Sleep Medicine
Background:
- Infant colic and sleep disturbances are common but their long-term impact on child development and behavior is not fully understood.
- Previous research suggests links to adverse outcomes, yet specific associations with developmental, emotional, and behavioral problems require further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between infant crying and sleep problems at 6 months of age.
- To determine if these early childhood issues predict behavioral and developmental problems at 18 months, 3 years, and 5 years.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa) with 86,724 children.
- Assessed infant colic and sleep parameters (duration, awakenings, ease of settling) via maternal reports.
- Measured emotional/behavioral problems using the Child Behavior Checklist and developmental problems using The Ages and Stages Questionnaire.
Main Results:
- Infants with colic showed lower development scores at 5 years and higher internalizing problems at 3 and 5 years.
- Frequent night awakenings and difficulty settling at 6 months correlated with lower development scores and higher internalizing behaviors at later ages.
- Shorter sleep duration in infancy was associated with increased internalizing behavior problems at 3 and 5 years.
Conclusions:
- Colic and sleep problems in infancy are significant risk factors for developmental and behavioral issues.
- Early identification and intervention for infant sleep and crying problems may mitigate long-term adverse outcomes.
- These findings highlight the importance of considering infant sleep and colic in the context of child development and mental health.
Background:
Sleep and colic problems in infancy have been linked to adverse health outcome, but there is limited knowledge of the association between sleep and colic problems in infancy and subsequent development, emotional and behavior problems in young children. The aim of the present study was to examine whether there is an associations between infants' crying and sleep problems at 6 months and behavioral and development problems at 18 months, 3 and 5 years.
Methods:
This study is based on the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa), conducted at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health from June 1999 to December 2008. A total of 86,724 children were included. Colic and sleep (sleep duration, nocturnal awakenings and easy to put to bed) was assessed by mother-reports. Z-scores were used to assess differences between groups of children (e.g. having colic or not, having a sleep problem or not). Emotional and behavioral problems were measured with items from the Child Behavior Checklist. Development problems were measured with items from The Ages and Stages Questionnaire.
Results:
Infants with colic scored significantly lower on development at 5 years (B=-0.10, CI [- 0.14 to - 0.06]) and higher on internalizing problems both at 3 years (B=0.15. CI [0.11 to 0.18]) and 5 years (B=0.17. CI [0.12 to 0.21]) than the reference population. Children who awoke frequently and were more difficult to put to bed at 6 months scored significantly lower on development at 18 months and 3 and 5 years, and higher on internalizing behavior problems at 3 and 5 years (B=0.18 and B=0.16). Children with shorter sleep duration at 6 months had more internalizing behavior problems at 3 years (B=0.14. CI [0.07 to 0.21]) and 5 years (B=0.15. CI [0.05 to 0.25]) than the reference population.
Conclusions:
Colic and sleep problems early in life should be taken into account as risk factors for development and behavioral problems within the first 5 years of a child's life.
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