Sleep and psychiatric symptoms in young child psychiatric outpatients – a Follow-up study

Abstract

Background Knowledge of the continuity of sleep problems and the associations between sleep and psychiatric symptoms in child psychiatric patients is scarce. Objectives To investigate the persistency of sleep problems and how sleep at preschool age predicts sleep problems and psychiatric symptoms at school age in child psychiatric patients. Methods Participants ( n = 68) were child psychiatry outpatients at Helsinki University Hospital in 2015–2017. Caregivers evaluated sleep with the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC) and psychiatric symptoms with the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) at baseline (age 4–7 years) and again at follow-up (age 8–13 years). Family background information was collected at both time points. Results Sleep problems at preschool age predicted sleep problems at school age (R2Adjusted = .48, p < .001). Persistent sleep problems associated strongly with the intensity of psychiatric symptoms ( p = .001). Internalizing symptoms were predicted by sleep problems ( p = .038) even after controlling for age, sex, and psychiatric symptoms at preschool age. Conclusion Sleep problems are prevalent and persistent and relate to psychiatric symptoms in children treated at child psychiatry clinics. These results emphasize the need for identification and treatment of sleep problems in these children.