Objective Research studies describe a high prevalence of sleep problems in children with mental health problems, up to 50%, and its role as a risk factor in the development of psychopathology. These often go unnoticed and are not evaluated in the clinical field. Our objective was to assess the concurrent validity of the BEARS, a brief paediatric sleep screening instrument, using the Children Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ) as the comparison instrument. Methods In this cross-sectional descriptive study, the BEARS was applied by a registered nurse to a sample of parents of children aged 2-16 years (n = 60, 71.7% male) who attended a mental healthcare facility (located in Murcia, Spain) for the first time to receive a group psychoeducational intervention. The association between the information collected with the BEARS and scores on the related subscales of the CSHQ was assessed by Mann-Whitney U tests. Results Children who, according to the BEARS, had a sleep problem obtained scores on the CSHQ-related subscales significantly higher than children who did not have a sleep problem (all P < 0.05). Conclusion Our results support the concurrent validity of the Spanish translation of the BEARS to detect sleep problems in paediatric nursing assessments. Further studies, with bigger and more heterogeneous samples, are warranted.

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Purpose To test the effects of a single‐session parent sleep educational intervention, led by a pediatric nurse, on sleep in a group of school‐aged children attending a National Health Service mental health clinic in Murcia, Spain. Design and Methods Parents/caregivers of 26 children (mean age = 8.58 years; standard deviation = 0.58; 80.8% male) with neurodevelopmental or mental health disorders (84.6% pervasive developmental disorder), and with a suspicion of a behavioral sleep problem, participated in a 45‐min group educational session about healthy sleep practices, supplemented by a written handout. The main outcome measures were derived from items of the Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire and included an insomnia composite score, a daytime sleepiness composite score, average sleep onset latency, and sleep duration on both weekdays and weekends. Outcome variables were assessed before and 3 months after the intervention. Results After the educational intervention, the insomnia and daytime composite scores decreased significantly (ps < 0.03). Weekday and weekend sleep duration significantly increased ( ps < 0.01). No statistically significant difference was observed in sleep onset latency before and after the intervention. Practice Implications A brief and relatively inexpensive single sleep educational session can positively impact sleep in children with neurodevelopmental and mental health disorders. Thus, this intervention meets the characteristics of a successful “entry level” treatment in a stepped‐care approach. The stepped‐care model places nurses in a pivotal position to ensure that their patients will receive the least complex and most accessible intervention, from which they are likely to get some benefit, and that a sizeable number of patients who need treatment may receive it. Thus, it is important for nurses in all types of practice settings to have an understanding of healthy sleep patterns, as well as sleep disorders in children. Pediatric nurses, regardless of their setting, are in a unique position to screen children and adolescents for sleep behavior problems or sleep disorders, to educate families about healthy sleep practices, provide guidance and feedback, and recommend referral to pediatric specialized care for more complex assessment and management.