0984 THE STABILITY OF PARENT-REPORTED SLEEP PROBLEMS FROM 18 TO 36 MONTHS OF AGE

Abstract

In young children, parent-reported sleep problems are common and in most clinical settings, parent-reports are the only child sleep information collected at well-child exams. Understanding the stability of these reports and how they may vary by child sex and age can inform clinical recommendations and aid in interpreting and subsequently treating these common concerns. As a part of a larger longitudinal study on sleep and development, 100 families reported on their child’s sleep problems using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Scores from the CBCL sleep problems subscale were calculated when children were 18, 24, 30, and 36 months of age. Parent-endorsed sleep problems ranged from 0 to 11 with most parents reporting relatively few concerns, M(SD) = 1.60 (2.22), 2.20 (2.74), 2.22 (2.44), and 2.11 (2.05) at each age, respectively. When considering the entire sample, within-subject sleep problem/behavior stability declined across development, as indexed by intraclass correlations (ICCs) of .71, .65, and .44 from 18 to 36 months of age. However, stability patterns differed by child sex. Male children (n = 63) followed the pattern highlighted above with less stability from 18 to 36 months. However, for female children (n = 37) within-subject sleep problem/behaviors were relatively stable with age (ICCs = .87, .67, .78). When considering average differences, there was a slight increase in parent-reported sleep problem/behaviors from 18 to 24 months, F(1, 71) = 6.10, p < .05, but average scores from 24 to 30 and 30 to 36 months were stable. Average sleep problem/behaviors did not differ by child sex. When considering the persistence or stability of early childhood sleep problem/behaviors, child sex should be considered. Within the present sample, parent-reported sleep problem/behaviors were comparable regardless of child sex. However, these problems were more likely to persist in female children. Although few studies address sleep problems repeatedly young children, the present study is consistent with studies in older children that document only a subset of children presented with persistent sleep problems. None