Reasons for sleeping difficulties as perceived by adolescents: a content analysis

Abstract

Sleeping difficulties are increasingly prevalent among adolescents worldwide and have negative consequences for adolescent health and education. The aim of this study was to describe the reasons for sleeping difficulties as perceived by adolescents. Sleeping difficulties include insufficient sleep, trouble falling asleep, waking up at night or sleep that does not leave an individual rested. Data were collected in 2015 using an open-ended question. The sample consisted of n = 475 adolescents from a city in Sweden, aged 15-16 years, with self-assessed sleeping difficulties. The results described the reasons for the adolescents' sleeping difficulties, at a general, thematic level, as an imbalance between requirements and preconditions, distributed to stress, technology use, poor sleep habits, existential thoughts, needs and suffering. To find a balance in their daily lives, adolescents may need support from parents, school nurses and school health services to deal with their sleeping difficulties.

Psychometric properties of the Patient‐Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Sleep Disturbance and Sleep‐Related Impairment item banks in adolescents

“…This suggests that the construct of sleep disturbance might not be one unidimensional construct in adolescents, or that the questions developed for adults or a larger paediatric age group do not cover enough of the specific adolescent sleep issues. Regarding the latter and recalling the unique adolescent sleep features, specific questions should mostly focus on problems with sleep onset and cover the sleep‐related impairments due to the tendency for later bedtimes, activities supporting this tendency, and autonomy regarding bedtime (Crowley et al, 2018; Jakobsson et al, 2019). Drawing upon existing measures, example statements could be ´I have trouble sleeping because I do things in bed that keep me awake (for example reading, watching TV, etc.…”

“…This increases adolescents’ sleep debt during the school week and often makes for more irregular sleep patterns, with catch‐up sleep during the weekends. In this phase, adolescents are also discovering autonomy regarding their sleep schedules (Crowley, Wolfson, Tarokh, & Carskadon, 2018; Jakobsson, Josefsson, & Hogberg, 2019). Sleep disorders can further diminish sleep duration, with delayed sleep phase disorder in 5%–16% of healthy adolescents (Carter, Hathaway, & Lettieri, 2014; Moore & Meltzer, 2008) and insomnia in 8%–10% (Amaral, Figueiredo Pereira, Silva Martins, Serpa Cdo, & Sakellarides, 2013; Moore & Meltzer, 2008) as the most common diagnoses.…”

Association between Physical Activity and Sleep Difficulties among Adolescents in Germany: The Role of Socioeconomic Status

“…In the present analyses, we used the definition and operationalization of sleep difficulties of Jakobsson et al [ 20 ]. With regard to this definition, the following outcome variables were differentiated in the analyses: unrecommended sleep duration (defined as a duration of sleep that does not meet the recommended duration), sleep-onset difficulties, trouble sleeping, and daytime sleepiness.…”

“…The reasons for insufficient sleep were investigated in a qualitative study in which adolescents mostly reported that insufficient sleep was owing to high academic and social requirements (e.g., school, activities, social environment) and their inability to cope with these because of personal circumstances. The main reasons for sleep difficulties and insufficient sleep among adolescents are stress, media use, and poor sleeping habits [ 20 ]. In addition to sleep duration, sleep-onset difficulty is another important sleep variable.…”

School nurses’ experiences of health-promoting work to prevent stress in Swedish adolescents

“…McKegney (2021) reports that isolation, increased anxiety, and avoidance of leisure activities are warning signs. According to Jakobsson et al (2019) , stress is the most common cause of adolescent sleep problems. The concept of stress includes school stress, everyday stress, and fear of missing out.…”