Objectives: Behavioral sleep problems affect 25% of children and impact functioning, but little is known about help-seeking for these problems. We identified (1) predictors for sleep problem perception and help-seeking, using nested-logit regression and (2) reasons why parents did not seek professional help for sleep problems, using chi-square. Methods: Parents ( N = 407) of children (2–10-years-old) completed the study online. Parents indicated whether their child had no sleep problem, a mild problem, or a moderate-to-severe problem and completed additional questionnaires on parent/child functioning. Results: Overall, 5.4% ± 2.2% of parents sought professional help for a child sleep problem. Greater child sleep problem severity and greater child socioemotional problems were significant predictors of parents perceiving a sleep problem. Among parents who perceived a sleep problem, greater parental socioemotional problems significantly predicted professional help-seeking. Parents who perceived no problem or a mild sleep problem reported not needing professional help as the main reason for not seeking help; parents who perceived a moderate-to-severe problem reported logistic barriers most often (e.g. treatment unavailability, cost). Conclusions: Problem perception and help-seeking predictors resemble the children’s mental health literature. Differences in barriers, based on problem severity, suggest differential help-seeking interventions are needed (e.g. education vs access).
Objectives
Investigate the direct and moderating effects of daytime parenting practices on the relationship between bedtime routines and pediatric sleep problems.
Methods
A community sample of 407 parents with children 2–10 years old completed measures of parenting practices (i.e., laxness and over-reactivity) and bedtime routines (i.e., consistency and reactivity to changes in routines). Sleep problems (i.e., severity and signaled night waking) were assessed by a parent-report questionnaire and sleep diaries.
Results
Higher parenting laxness (β = .13) and less bedtime routine consistency (β = −.34) significantly predicted sleep problem severity. Laxness moderated the relationship between bedtime reactivity and sleep problem severity: when bedtime reactivity was high, higher parental laxness was associated with more severe sleep problems.
Conclusions
Daytime parenting practices are important to consider when children are reactive to changes in bedtime routines, as permissive or inconsistent daytime parenting practices were found to be associated with more severe sleep problems. Future research should examine the effects of parenting practices and bedtime routines on problematic signaled night waking in a clinical sample of children.
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