Understanding the Impact of Insufficient Sleep in Children with Behavior Problems on Caregiver Stress: Results from a U.S. National Study

Abstract

Research indicates strong connections between child ADHD, child ODD/CD, and sleep. Children experiencing these concerns also have caregivers who report feeling more stress. However, no studies have examined how child ADHD and ODD/CD interact together and with insufficient sleep to potentially exacerbate caregiver stress. Data were acquired from the 2018/2019 National Survey of Children’s Health, a nationally representative survey of parents or caregivers conducted across the United States (U.S.). The current study used data for children 6-17 years old with a final analytic sample size of 41,541, representing a total of 47,357,862 U.S. youth. Overall child ADHD and ODD/CD were each uniquely associated with increased caregiver stress, while adequate child sleep duration was related to decreased caregiver stress. However, these findings were qualified by a significant two-way interaction that revealed that caregiver stress among children with comorbid ADHD and ODD/CD was not significantly greater than that of children with ODD/CD alone. Significant interactions between sleep and ODD/CD on caregiver stress were generally not observed, except potentially in females with ADHD. Our findings underscore the importance of considering strategies to reduce both youth symptoms and caregiver stress simultaneously. Additionally, ensuring adequate sleep for all children is recommended.