Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on elementary school children’s sleep hygiene

Abstract

The effect on sleep in elementary school-age, healthy children during the pandemic has been studied in various online survey studies with varied conclusions. However, no research study has been conducted in North Macedonia to examine the impact of the pandemic on the prevalence of sleep problems among elementary school-age children. Therefore, the present study is focused on exploring sleep patterns, sleep disturbances, and other associated factors during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in elementary school children. Approximately 85 respondents were surveyed from a public elementary school in North Macedonia. The Children Sleep Habits Questionnaire was used to assess children's sleep habits. From the research, we were able to conclude that children aged 7-8, are more prone to experiencing few sleep subscales that relate to common sleep problems such as bedtime resistance, sleep anxiety, night waking, and parasomnia while children at aged 10-11 would perform more sleep onset delays than younger ones. Keywords: children's mental health, sleep patterns, sleep health, sleep disruptions, COVID-19.