Top

Journal of Child and Family Studies

Gepubliceerd in:

17-01-2019 | Original Paper

Predictors of Nighttime Fears and Sleep Problems in Young Children

Auteurs: Renatha El Rafihi-Ferreira, Krystal M. Lewis, Tyler McFayden, Thomas H. Ollendick

Gepubliceerd in: Journal of Child and Family Studies | Uitgave 4/2019

Abstract

Objectives

This study had two major aims: (1) to explore the relationship between sleep related difficulties and behavioral and emotional problems in young children, and (2) to identify predictors of child fear and problematic sleep behaviors.

Methods

Sixty-eight children (34 boys), ages 4–6 years (M = 4.9, SD = 0.9) who experienced nighttime fears and who co-slept with their parents were evaluated using parental reports of internalizing and externalizing behavioral problems, sleep difficulties and related anxiety, as well as child and parental reports of fear.

Results

Child-reported fear was significantly predicted by internalizing problems when controlling for other variables whereas parent-reported fear was primarily related to child endorsed fears on a preschool fear questionnaire when controlling for the other variables. In contrast, sleep-related problems were primarily related to externalizing behavior problems whereas the number of nights slept alone was primarily related to separation anxiety on a preschool anxiety questionnaire.

Conclusions

Findings from the present study point to the multiplicity of factors that account for nighttime fears and sleep difficulties in young children. Child fear and separation anxiety were related to co-sleeping. Moreover, internalizing symptoms in young children predicted child fear whereas, externalizing symptoms predicted sleep problems. Based on the reciprocal relationship between emotional/behavior problems and sleep, frequent co-sleeping and nighttime fears might serve as a risk and/or maintaining factor of disrupted sleep practices. When treating nighttime fears in young children, co-sleeping should be targeted for intervention as well.

vorige artikel The Social Economics of Adolescent Behavior and Measuring the Behavioral Culture of Schools

volgende artikel Relations among Temperament, Familial Socioeconomic Status, and Inhibitory Control in Typically Developing Four-Year-Old Children

Achenbach, T. M., & Rescorla, L. A. (2000). Manual for the ASEBA preschool forms & profiles. Burlington, VT: University of Vermont, Research Center for Children, Youth, & Families.

Alfano, C. A., Ginsburg, G. S., & Kingery, J. N. (2007). Sleep-related problems among children and adolescents with anxiety disorders. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 46(2), 224–232. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.chi.0000242233.06011.8e.CrossRefPubMed

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. 5th ed. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.CrossRef

Batista, B. H. M., & Nunes, M. L. (2006). Validação para Língua Portuguesa de Duas Escalas para Avaliação de Hábitos e Qualidade de Sono em Crianças. Journal of Epilepsy and Clinical Neurophysiology, 12(3), 143–148.CrossRef

Broeren, S., & Muris, P. (2008). Psychometric evaluation of two new parent-rating scales for measuring anxiety symptoms in young Dutch children. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 22(6), 949–958. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2007.09.008.CrossRefPubMed

Clementi, M. A., & Alfano, C. A. (2014). Targeted behavioral therapy for childhood generalized anxiety disorder: A time-series analysis of changes in anxiety and sleep. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 28(2), 215–222. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2013.10.006.CrossRefPubMed

Cortesi, F., Giannotti, F., Sebastiani, T., Vagnoni, C., & Marioni, P. (2008). Cosleeping versus solitary sleeping in children with bedtime problems: child emotional problems and parental distress. Behavioral Sleeping Medicine, 6(2), 85–105. https://doi.org/10.1080/15402000801952922.CrossRef

Crowell, J., Keener, M., Ginsburg, N., & Anders, T. (1987). Sleep habits in toddlers 18–26 months of age. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 26, 510–515.CrossRefPubMed

Friedman, A. G., & Ollendick, T. H. (1989). Treatment programs for severe night-time fears: A methodological note. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 20(2), 171–178.CrossRefPubMed

Gordon, J., King, N., Gullone, E., Muris, P., & Ollendick, T. H. (2007a). Treatment of children’s nighttime fears: The need for a modern randomised control trial. Clinical Psychology Review, 27(1), 98–113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2006.07.002.CrossRefPubMed

Gordon, J., King, N., Gullone, E., Muris, P., & Ollendick, T. H. (2007b). Nighttime fears of children and adolescents: Frequency, content, severity, harm, expectations, disclosure, and coping behaviours. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 45(10), 2464–2472. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2007.03.013.CrossRefPubMed

Gregory, A. M., Eley, T. C., O’Conner, T. G., & Plomin, R. (2004). Etiologies of associations between childhood sleep and behavioral problems in a large twin sample. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 43(6), 744–751. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.chi/0000122798.47863.a5.CrossRefPubMed

Gregory, A. M., Ende, J. V., Willis, T. A., & Verhulst, F. C. (2008). Parent-reported sleep problems during development and self-reported anxiety/depression, attention problems, and aggressive behavior later in life. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 162, 330–335. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpedi.162.4.330.CrossRefPubMed

Gregory, A. M., & Sadeh, A. (2012). Sleep, emotional and behavioral difficulties in children and adolescents. Sleeping Medicine Reviews, 16(2), 129–136. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2011.03.007.CrossRef

Hall, W. A., Zubrick, S. R., Silburn, S. R., Parsons, D. E., & Kurinczuk, J. J. (2007). A model for preditcting behavioural sleep problems in a random sample of australian pre-schoolers. Infant and Child Development, 16, 509–523. https://doi.org/10.1002/icd.527.CrossRef

Hayes, M. J., Roberts, S. M., & Stowe, R. (1996). Early childhood co‐sleeping: Parent‐child and parent‐infant nighttime interactions. Infant Mental Health Journal: Official Publication of The World Association for Infant Mental Health, 17(4), 348–357. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)10970355(199624)17:4%3C348::AID-IMHJ6%3E3.0.CO;2-I.CrossRef

Hersen, M., & Bellack, A. S. (1988). Dictionary of behavioral assessment techniques. New York: Pergamon Press.

Iwata, S., Iwata, O., & Matsuishi, T. (2013). Sleep patterns of Japanese preschool children and their parents: implications for co-sleeping. Acta Paediatrica, 102, e257–e262. https://doi.org/10.1111/apa.12203.CrossRefPubMed

Kahn, M., Ronen, A., Apter, A., & Sadeh, A. (2017). Cognitive-behavioral versus non-directive therapy for preschoolers with severe nighttime fears and sleep-related problems. Sleeping Medicine, 32, 40–47. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2016.12.011.CrossRef

Kushnir, J., Gothelf, D., & Sadeh, A. (2014). Nighttime fears of preschool children: A potential disposition marker for anxiety? Comprehensive Psychiatry, 55, 336–341. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2013.08.019.CrossRefPubMed

Kushnir, J., & Sadeh, A. (2011). Sleep of preschool children with night-time fears. Sleeping Medicine, 12, 870–874. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2011.03.022.CrossRef

Kushnir, J., & Sadeh, A. (2012). Assessment of brief interventions for nighttime fears in preschool children. European Journal of Pediatrics, 171(1), 67–75. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-011-1488-4.CrossRefPubMed

Lewis, K. M., Amatya, K., Coffman, M. F., & Ollendick, T. H. (2015). Treating nighttime fears in young children with bibliotherapy: evaluating anxiety symptoms and monitoring behavior change. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 30, 103–112. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2014.12.004.CrossRefPubMed

McNamara, P., Belsky, J., & Fearon, P. (2003). Infant sleep disorders and attachment: Sleep problems in infants with insecure-resistant versus insecure-avoidant attachments to mother. Sleeping and Hypnosis, 5, 17–26.

Mindell J. A., Sadeh A., Kohyama J., & How T. H. (2010). Parental behaviors and sleep outcomes in infants and toddlers: a cross-cultural comparison. Sleeping Medicine, 11, 393–399. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2009.11.011.CrossRef

Muris, P., Merckelbach, H., Mayer, B., & Prins, E. (2000). How serious are common childhood fears? Behaviour Research and Therapy, 38(3), 217–228. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0005-7967(98)00204-6.CrossRefPubMed

Muris, P., Merckelbach, H., Ollendick, T. H., King, N. J., & Bogie, N. (2001). Children’s nighttime fears: parent–child ratings of frequency, content, origins, coping behaviors and severity. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 39(1), 13–28. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0005-7967(99)00155-2.CrossRefPubMed

Ollendick, T. H. (1983). Reliability and validity of the revised fear survey schedule for children (FSSC-R). Behaviour Research and Therapy, 21, 685–692.CrossRefPubMed

Ollendick, T. H., Hagopian, L. P., & Huntzinger, R. M. (1991). Cognitive-behavior therapy with nighttime fearful children. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 22(2), 113–121.CrossRefPubMed

Palmer, C., Clementi, M. A., Meers, J. M., & Alfano, C. A. (2018). Co-sleeping among school-aged anxious and non-anxious children: associations with sleep variability and timing. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-017-0387-1.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Rafihi-Ferreira, R., Silvares, E. F. M., Asbahr, F. R., & Ollendick, T. (2018). Brief treatment for nighttime fears and co-sleeping problems: A randomized clinical trial. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 58, 51–60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2018.06.008.CrossRefPubMed

Rafihi-Ferreira, R., Silvares, E. F. M., Pires, M. L. N., Assumpção-Jr, F. B., & Moura, C. B. (2016). Sono e comportamento em crianças atendidas em um serviço de psicologia. Revista Psicologia: Teoria e Prática, 18(2), 159–172. https://doi.org/10.15348/1980-6906/psicologia.v18n2p159-172.CrossRef

Sadeh, A. (2005). Cognitive-behavioral treatment for childhood sleep disorders. Clinical Psychology Review, 25, 612–628. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2005.04.006.CrossRefPubMed

Sadeh, A., Tikotzky, L., & Scher, A. (2010). Parenting and infant sleep. Sleeping Medicine Review, 19, 103–110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2009.05.003.CrossRef

Scher, A., Zukerman, S., & Epstein, R. (2005). Persistent night waking and settling difficulties across the first year: early precursors of later behavioural problems? Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology, 23, 77–88. https://doi.org/10.1080/02646830512331330929.CrossRef

Shang, C. H., Gau, S. S. F., & Soong, W. T. (2006). Association between childhood sleep problems and perinatal factors, parental mental distress and behavioral problems. Journal of Sleeping Research, 15(1), 63–73. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2869.2006.00492.x.CrossRef

Sivertsen, B., Harvey, A. G., Reichborn-Kjennerud, T., Torgersen, L., Ystrom, E., & Hysing, M. (2015). Later emotional and behavioral problems associated with sleep problems in toddlers: a longitudinal study. The Jounal of the American Medical Association Pediatrics, 169(6), 575–582. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2015.0187.CrossRef

Sourander, A. (2001). Emotional and behavioural problems in a sample of finnish three-year-olds. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 10(2), 98–104. https://doi.org/10.1007/s007870170032.CrossRef

Spence, S. H., Rapee, R., McDonald, C., & Ingram, M. (2001). The structure of anxiety symptoms among preschoolers. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 39(11), 1293–1316. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0005-7967(00)00098-X.CrossRefPubMed

Stein, M. A., Mendelsohn, J., Obermeyer, W. H., Amromin, J., & Benca, R. (2001). Sleep and behavior problems in scholl-aged children. Pediatrics, 107, e60.CrossRefPubMed

Stewart, S. E., & Gordon, J. E. (2014). Parent-assisted cognitive-behavioural therapy for children’s nighttime fear. Behaviour Change, 31(4), 243–257. https://doi.org/10.1017/bec.2014.19.CrossRef

Warren, S. L., Ollendick, T. H., & Simmens, S. J. (2008). Reliability and validity of the fear survey schedule for infants-preschoolers. Depression and Anxiety, 25(12), E205–E207. https://doi.org/10.1002/da.20344.CrossRefPubMed

Weiner, C. L., Elkins, R. M., Pincus, D., & Comer, J. (2015). Anxiety sensitivity and sleep-related problems in anxious youth. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 32, 66–72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2015.03.009.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Titel: Predictors of Nighttime Fears and Sleep Problems in Young Children
Auteurs: Renatha El Rafihi-Ferreira
Krystal M. Lewis
Tyler McFayden
Thomas H. Ollendick
Publicatiedatum: 17-01-2019
Uitgeverij: Springer US
Gepubliceerd in: Journal of Child and Family Studies / Uitgave 4/2019
Print ISSN: 1062-1024
Elektronisch ISSN: 1573-2843
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-019-01332-9

Bohn Stafleu van Loghum

Deel dit onderdeel of sectie (kopieer de link)

Abstract

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Log in om toegang te krijgen

Andere artikelen Uitgave 4/2019

Parent-Grandparent Coparenting Relationship, Maternal Parenting Self-efficacy, and Young Children’s Social Competence in Chinese Urban Families

Preliminary Support for the Theory of Planned Behavior in Pre-Parent Discipline Intentions

A Mindfulness-Based Intervention for Unaccompanied Refugee Minors: A Pilot Study with Mixed Methods Evaluation

Delivering a Parenting Program in South Africa: The Impact of Implementation on Outcomes

The Social Economics of Adolescent Behavior and Measuring the Behavioral Culture of Schools

Parental Control for Latinas and Non-Latinas: Implications for Emerging Adult Mental Health