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Portrait of sleep in preschoolers involved with Child Protective Services and from the community

Evelyne Touchette1, Michel Rousseau2, Valérie Simard3

  • 1Department of Psychoeducation and Social Work, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Québec, Canada; Centre de recherche universitaire sur les jeunes et les familles, Québec, Canada; Research Unit on Children's Psychosocial Maladjustment, Québec, Canada; Centre d'études avancées en médecine du sommeil, Montréal, Canada.

Sleep Medicine
|August 18, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Preschoolers involved with Child Protective Services (CPS) exhibit longer sleep onset and fewer nighttime awakenings compared to community peers. These sleep differences persist even after accounting for various child and sociodemographic factors.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Sleep Medicine
  • Child Psychology
  • Developmental Pediatrics

Background:

  • Sleep disturbances are prevalent in early childhood.
  • Children involved with Child Protective Services (CPS) may face unique challenges impacting development.
  • Understanding sleep patterns in vulnerable populations is crucial for early intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To characterize sleep patterns in preschoolers involved with CPS using objective and subjective measures.
  • To compare sleep parameters between CPS-involved preschoolers and community-based peers.
  • To determine if observed sleep differences remain significant after adjusting for covariates.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized actigraphy, sleep diaries, and the Child Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ).
  • Collected data over 72 hours on weekdays from 92 preschoolers (3-5 years old).
  • Employed chi-square tests, ANOVAs, and regression analyses for data analysis and covariate adjustment.

Main Results:

  • CPS-involved preschoolers demonstrated longer sleep onset latency.
  • Fewer nighttime awakenings were reported by parents of CPS-involved preschoolers.
  • These sleep disparities remained statistically significant after adjusting for sociodemographic and child characteristics.

Conclusions:

  • Significant sleep differences exist between CPS-involved and community preschoolers.
  • Further research should explore links to cortisol, sleep ecology, and parent-child attachment.
  • These findings highlight the need for targeted sleep support for children in CPS care.
Abstract

Keywords:
ActigraphyAdversityChildChild protective servicesChild sleep habits questionnaireMaltreatmentSleep

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