A review of sleep disturbance in children and adolescents with anxiety

Abstract

The present review examines the relations between sleep disturbance and anxiety in children and adolescents. The review begins with a detailed discussion of normative developmental trends in sleep, and the relation between sleep quality and emotion dysregulation in children. The extant literature on sleep disturbance in clinically anxious children with a focus on subjective versus objective measures of sleep is then summarized in detail. Finally, a review of the reciprocal relationship between sleep and emotion regulation is provided. The available research suggests that sleep disturbance is quite prevalent in children with anxiety disorders, although the directionality of the association between sleep disturbance and anxiety in children remains unclear. Despite this limitation, a reciprocal relationship between sleep quality and anxiety appears to be well established. Research using objective measures of sleep quality (e.g. polysomnography, sleep actigraphy, sleep bruxism) is warranted to better understand this relation. Further, complicating factors such as the environment in which sleep quality is measured, the developmental stage of participants, varying severity of anxiety and the timeframe during which assessment takes place should all be considered when examining sleep disturbance in this population.

High occurrence of sleep problems in survivors of a childhood brain tumor with neurocognitive complaints: The association with psychosocial and behavioral executive functioning

“…The results indicate that emotional problems and hyperactivity/inattention might be risk factors for sleep problems, though the direction of the relation between sleep problems and emotional problems cannot be confirmed given the cross‐sectional design of the study. This finding is in line with results that have previously been found in healthy children and other populations such as children with ADHD . Similar results were reported by Cohen et al in groups of children with neurological disorders; they concluded that sleep problems are likely more related to behavioral and environmental factors rather than the neurological disorder itself .…”

“…Sleep problems are related to a lower quality of life in children . In longitudinal studies, children with emotional problems such as anxiety and attention problems tend to have more sleep problems . Alternatively, behavioral problems and mood disturbances are negative psychosocial consequences of sleep problems too, as is daytime sleepiness, which can lead to difficulties with focus and attention .…”

Sleep Disturbance and Psychological Profiles of Medical Staff and Non-Medical Staff During the Early Outbreak of COVID-19 in Hubei Province, China

“…Binary logistic regression analysis identified medical occupation, parental burden, death of a loved one, anxiety and depression as the 5 factors of poor sleep quality. During the SARS outbreak as well, heavy workload, family stress, personal or family lifestyle and negative feelings were significantly correlated with insomnia (23,27,31). Studies have also indicated that high anxiety level correlate with sleep quality (32,33), and a similar association was found in our survey as well.…”

Emotional and behavioural dysregulation in children of health care workers in the frontline of COVID-19 response in Sri Lanka

“…The first child presented with new-onset anxiety-related sleep disturbance and panic symptoms as his mother, a nurse, worked in a unit dedicated to suspected COVID-19 patients. Reviews of the existing literature show that there is a reciprocal relationship between sleep and emotional regulation in children, and sleep disturbances are highly prevalent in children with anxiety disorders (7). The 10-year-old boy was treated with progressive muscle relaxation training, and there is past evidence that this method is effective in reducing emotional distress in 10-11-year-old children (8).…”