A Review of Pediatric Nonpharmacological Sleep Interventions: Effects on Sleep, Secondary Outcomes, and Populations With Co-occurring Mental Health Conditions

Abstract

Sleep problems are common in school-age children and linked to numerous negative outcomes. Sleep disturbances are particularly common in children with mental health disorders, such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, depression, and anxiety. Despite frequent use of nonpharmacological pediatric sleep interventions to treat common sleep problems, there is a paucity of research on whether these interventions are effective. Further, it is unclear whether by targeting sleep, these interventions lead to broader improvements in the domains of functioning that are commonly affected by poor sleep. The present review includes 20 studies that evaluated nonpharmacological sleep treatments for school-aged youth, including 5 studies specifically focused on youth with externalizing or internalizing problems. Multimodal approaches consisting of psychoeducation and sleep hygiene in combination with other components were effective at treating insomnia and general sleep problems in typically developing samples. The addition of behavioral parent training to sleep interventions was effective for youth with externalizing problems, whereas incorporating cognitive strategies into sleep interventions for youth with internalizing problems was found to be ineffective. A variety of secondary outcomes were examined, with the strongest support emerging for improvement in anxiety and behavioral problems. Implications for clinical practice and future research directions are discussed.