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How Pediatric Sleep Disordered Breathing Impacts Parental Fatigue
Lauren A DiNardo1, Alyssa D Reese1, Maya Raghavan1
1Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA.
The Annals of Otology, Rhinology, and Laryngology
|August 8, 2023
Summary
Parents of children with sleep disordered breathing (SDB) experience significantly higher fatigue levels. This highlights the importance of recognizing parental fatigue in pediatric SDB care.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Sleep Medicine
- Family Health
- Quality of Life Research
Background:
- Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) negatively impacts children's quality of life and that of their families.
- Parental well-being is a critical factor in managing pediatric health conditions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate and quantify fatigue levels in parents of young children diagnosed with sleep symptoms.
- To assess the correlation between a child's sleep symptom severity (OSA-18 scale) and parental fatigue.
Main Methods:
- A survey-based study was conducted across three pediatric otolaryngology clinics.
- Parents of children aged 1-10 completed the OSA-18 scale for their child and fatigue assessments (Fatigue Severity Scale, Chalder Fatigue Scale).
Main Results:
- Parents with children scoring ≥60 on the OSA-18 scale reported significantly higher fatigue scores on both the Chalder Fatigue Scale (16.5 vs. 11.9) and Fatigue Severity Scale (34.7 vs. 28.9).
- A significant portion of households (82.1%) had two caregivers, indicating a potential for shared burden.
Conclusions:
- Parental fatigue is demonstrably higher when children have significant sleep disordered breathing symptoms.
- Healthcare providers should consider parental fatigue as a key outcome in managing pediatric SDB, impacting the entire family unit.
Keywords:
fatigueobstructive sleep apneaparental fatigueparentingpediatric otolaryngologypediatric sleepMore Related Videos
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