0782 Sleep and Its Disturbance in Parents of Children and Adolescents with Epilepsy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Sleep disturbances are commonly reported by parents of children and adolescents with epilepsy. However, evidence synthesis including quality and quantity of sleep in parents of children and adolescents with epilepsy is lacking. A greater understanding of the characteristics of sleep patterns and sleep problems in parents of children with epilepsy is needed because when the sleep of the parents is compromised, the parents’ ability to provide quality care for the child may be hampered. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to synthesize published studies examining sleep and its disturbance in parents of children and adolescents with epilepsy. Methods Five electronic databases, PubMed, Medline, Embase, PsychINFO, and CINAHL, were systematically searched from inception to September 2021. Studies examining parents or caregivers of pediatric patients aged < 18 years with epilepsy using a quantitative measure of sleep duration, sleep quality, or sleep disturbance were included. Available data were pooled using random-effects or fixed-effects models on the basis of heterogeneity between studies. Results Eleven observational studies with a total of 934 parents of children and adolescents with epilepsy were reviewed. The pooled nocturnal sleep duration was only 5.93 hours (95% CI: 4.64 to 7.21 hours). Overall sleep quality as estimated by the bias-adjusted pooled Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index total score was 6.65 (95% CI: 5.98 to 7.33). Parents of children with epilepsy had significantly higher Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index total scores in comparison to parents of healthy children (differences in means: 1.84, 95% CI: 1.29 to 2.39). The pooled estimated prevalence of parental sleep disturbances was 58.1% (95% CI: 45.7% to 69.6%). Conclusion Our findings demonstrate a high prevalence of sleep disturbances with poor sleep quality and substantial reductions in sleep time in parents of children and adolescents with epilepsy. Healthcare professionals in pediatric neurology clinics should initiate screening of sleep disturbances in parents and refer parents to a sleep specialist when necessary. Support (if any) This work was supported by Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan, MOST 110-2628-B-002-039.