0649 Objective and Subjective Sleep Patterns in Youth with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Sleep disturbance commonly presents in youth with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). However, studies elucidating the nature of sleep problems in OCD are limited and pose discrepant findings. The present study examines objective and subjective sleep disturbance in youth with OCD relative to healthy controls, and investigates the relationship between sleep disturbance and OCD symptom severity. Methods Participants were 61 youth aged 8 to 17 years (M = 12.18, SD = 2.64) with OCD (n = 26), and healthy controls (n = 35). An evaluator assessed psychiatric diagnosis through a diagnostic interview and rated OCD symptom severity (Children’s Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale). Objective sleep patterns, including sleep onset latency, wake after sleep onset, duration and number of awakenings, total sleep time, and sleep efficiency were assessed through 7-day sleep monitoring using the wActiSleep-BT actigraph. Youth rated sleep using the Sleep Self-Report (SSR), and parents rated youth sleep using the Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ). Results Independent samples t-tests were performed to compare youth with OCD and healthy controls on sleep measures. Findings revealed no significant differences between youth with OCD and healthy controls on the actigraphy measures (i.e., total sleep time, wake after sleep onset, duration and number of awakenings, and sleep onset latency, sleep efficiency). Youth with OCD had significantly greater self-reported, t(24) = 3.29, p < 0.01, and parent-reported sleep disturbance, t(41) = 2.94, p < 0.01, relative to healthy controls. OCD symptom severity was positively correlated with SSR scores, r = .53, p < 0.01, and CSHQ scores, r = .47, p = 0.03. There were no significant correlations between actigraphy measures and OCD symptom severity. Conclusion Youth with OCD exhibit sleep disturbance on subjective but not objective sleep measures relative to healthy controls. Findings are discrepant from objective-subjective sleep patterns found in other studies of youth with OCD, but consistent with those found in youth with anxiety disorders. Findings may suggest subjective measures capture forms of sleep disturbance (e.g., bedtime resistance, nighttime anxiety, etc.) not measured by actigraphy. Support (If Any)