Child sleep behaviors and sleep problems from infancy to school-age

Abstract

ObjectiveFew studies have examined the sleep behaviors associated with a caregiver-reported sleep problem beyond early childhood and across different age groups. This study examined sleep behaviors associated with a caregiver-reported sleep problem from birth to middle childhood. MethodsParticipants were 5107 children from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children—Birth Cohort. Caregiver-reported child sleep problems and sleep behaviors were assessed biennially from ages 0–1 to 10–11 years. Logistic regressions were used to examine associations between three child sleep behaviors (waking overnight, difficulty falling asleep, and difficulty sleeping alone) and the odds of having a caregiver-reported sleep problem at each age. ResultsCaregiver-reported child sleep problems were most prevalent in infancy (17.1%) and decreased through middle childhood (7.7%). All three sleep behaviors were associated with a sleep problem at each age. Whereas waking overnight was the most common sleep behavior and was associated with the highest odds of having a sleep problem from infancy to age 6–7 years (ORs = 5.78–8.29), difficulty falling asleep was the most common sleep behavior and was associated with the highest odds of having a sleep problem at ages 8–9 and 10–11 years (ORs = 10.65 and 17.78, respectively). ConclusionCaregivers’ endorsement of a child sleep problem was associated with developmentally-relevant sleep behaviors, with night awakenings most relevant during infancy and difficulty falling asleep most relevant in middle childhood. Study findings have implications for targeted and developmentally-focused sleep problem screening questions in child healthcare settings. Future research examining additional indicators of caregiver-defined sleep problems is required.