Study of Sleep Duration and Mental Health Characteristics of Preschool Children

Abstract

Sleep is one of the most important human physiological states. Little is known about the link between sleep duration and children's mental disorders, external or internal difficulties, and future problems. It is understood that the environment, parents, and cultural aspects could have the greatest impact on children's sleep. The survey was conducted by an anonymous questionnaire in March-May 2021. All subjects were divided into 3 groups according to the duration of children's sleep: Group I - sleep 10-13 hours; II -8-10 h; III - ≤ 8 h. Aim of the study: to assess sleep duration and mental health characteristics of 4–5-year-old children. The study analyzed 304 questionnaires. Distribution of children by gender - 48.4% boys 51.6% girls. Group I was 45.1%; II - 44.7%; Group III 10.2%. The median of the internal difficulty scores in the SDQ questionnaire of group I was the lowest (2) and the highest in group III (4) (p = 0.030). The median of the external difficulty scores in the SDQ questionnaire of group I was the lowest (5) and the highest in group III (7) (p = 0.002). More than half of the children slept less than 10 hours. It was observed that less than 10 h. sleeping children had higher internalized and externalized difficulties. The research data indicates that it is so important to strengthen and develop better sleep hygiene in children.