Similarities and differences between actigraphy and parent-reported sleep in a Hispanic and non-Hispanic White sample

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Sleep Medicine
• Child Psychology
• Health Disparities

Background:

• Parental reports are commonly used to assess children's sleep, but concerns exist regarding their accuracy.
• The potential for bias in parental sleep reports and its variation across racial/ethnic groups remains under-explored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the concordance between parent-reported sleep (questionnaires, diaries) and objective actigraphy measures in Hispanic and non-Hispanic White children.
• To determine if biases in parental sleep estimates differ between racial/ethnic groups.

Main Methods:

• A sample of 89 children (51 Hispanic, 38 non-Hispanic White) participated.
• Parental sleep reports were collected via questionnaires and sleep diaries for school days.
• Objective sleep data was gathered using actigraphy for five consecutive school days.

Main Results:

• Parents consistently reported longer sleep durations, earlier bedtimes, and later wake times compared to actigraphy.
• Discrepancies between parent reports and actigraphy were larger for sleep duration (diaries) and wake time (questionnaires) in non-Hispanic White children compared to Hispanic children.

Conclusions:

• While parents generally overestimate children's sleep duration, Hispanic parents may provide more accurate estimates than non-Hispanic White parents.
• Findings highlight the importance of considering potential racial/ethnic differences in the accuracy of parental sleep reports.
• Researchers and clinicians should be mindful of these biases when interpreting parental sleep data.