The Impact of Anxiety on Behavioral Sleep Difficulties and Treatment in Young Children: A Review of the Literature.

Abstract

Sleep difficulties are a common pediatric complaint, and the majority of these sleep difficulties are behavioral in nature (e.g., difficulties initiating or maintaining sleep). Although research supports behavioral interventions to improve sleep in young children with behavioral sleep difficulties, anxiety and child distress are common in this age range and these factors can impact treatment outcomes directly (e.g., increased distress and resistance at bedtime) and indirectly (e.g., poor parental compliance with behavioral strategies). Anxiety is an important aspect of treatment in adolescents and adults with behavioral sleep difficulties, but this factor is rarely considered in the literature for younger children. Thus, this manuscript reviews the literature on anxiety as it relates to behavioral sleep difficulties in young children (i.e., the preschool and surrounding age range), provides an overview of empirically supported behavioral intervention and research incorporating anxiety into behavioral sleep treatments, and provides recommendations and future directions for continuing to advance the literature and treatment in this area.