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Treatment for behavioral insomnia in young children with neurotypical development under 6 years of age: A systematic

Florian Lecuelle1, Wendy Leslie2, Marie-Paule Gustin3

  • 1Pediatric Sleep Unit, Hospital for Women Mothers & Children, Lyon 1 University, France; Swiss Distance Learning University, Faculty of Psychology, Brig, Switzerland; Research Laboratory on the Physiology of the Brain Arousal System, CRNL, INSERM-U1028, CNRS UMR5292, Lyon, France.

Sleep Medicine Reviews
|February 23, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Behavioral therapy is the primary effective treatment for behavioral insomnia in children under 6 years. Pharmacological treatments lack long-term efficacy and evidence for this age group.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Sleep Medicine
  • Developmental Psychology

Background:

  • Behavioral insomnia is prevalent in children under 6.
  • Empirical evidence for treatment efficacy is crucial for this demographic.

Approach:

  • Systematic literature review following PRISMA guidelines.
  • Searched PubMed, Cochrane, and PsychInfo for randomized controlled trials (RCTs).
  • Analyzed 21 RCTs involving 2363 neurotypical children (2 months to 6 years).

Key Points:

  • Behavioral therapy is the most empirically supported treatment for behavioral insomnia in young children.
  • Pharmacological interventions show no long-term effectiveness in neurotypical children under 6.
  • Significant lack of high-quality RCTs necessitates further research.

Conclusions:

  • Behavioral interventions are recommended for treating behavioral insomnia in children under 6.
  • Future RCTs are needed to optimize therapeutic approaches and mitigate risks from unvalidated methods.

Keywords:
Behavioral interventionCBT-IInsomniaNeurotypical developmentSystematic reviewTreatmentYoung children

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