Sleep and Coping in Early Childhood During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Sleep disturbances in early childhood are associated with mood and anxiety disorders. Children also exhibit sleep disruptions, such as nighttime awakenings, nightmares, and difficulties falling asleep, in conjunction with adverse events and stress. Prior studies have examined independently the role of sleep on adaptive processing, as well as the effects of stress on sleep. However, how childhood sleep and children's adaptive behavior (i.e., coping strategies) bidirectionally interact is currently less known. Using a within-subjects design and actigraphy-measured sleep from 16 preschool-aged children (Mage = 56.4 months, SD = 10.8, range: 36–70 months), this study investigated how prior sleep patterns relate to children's coping during a potentially stressful event, the COVID-19 pandemic, and how prior coping skills may influence children's sleep during the pandemic. Children who woke earlier had greater negative expression both before and during the pandemic. During the pandemic, children slept longer and woke later on average compared to before the pandemic. Additionally, for children engaged in at-home learning, sleeping longer was associated with less negative expression. These findings highlight how sleep behaviors and coping strategies are related, and the stability of this relationship under stress.

Lifestyle Changes, Mental Health, and Health-related Quality of Life in Children Aged 6-7 Years Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic in South Germany

“…25 Also Lokandwala et al found changes in sleeping patterns during the pandemic. 27 The reason for the discrepancy between our ndings (no changes in sleep quality) and the existing reports may lie in different methodology used. However, it has to be noted that the determinants of children's sleep behavior are scarcely understood, with moderate evidence for screen-time.…”

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic lockdown on movement behaviours of children and adolescents: a systematic review

“…Nineteen studies (4 cohort, 14 cross-sectional and 1 qualitative) reported changes in sleep quality from before to during the COVID-19 lockdown. Eight (one cohort, six cross-sectional and one qualitative)39 40 47 71 80–83 of them observed a decrease, five (one cohort and four cross-sectional)27 51 73 74 79 observed an increase and six (two cohort and four cross-sectional)26 53 76–78 84 observed no significant change in sleep quality.…”

“…Studies from the UK and Poland reported that children slept less during the lockdown than before the lockdown 51 54. Two multicountry studies and studies from Spain, Australia, the USA, Portugal and China did not observe any significant difference in sleep duration among children and adolescents from before to during the lockdown 3 20 26 40 49 55 56 75 76…”

“…Twenty-five studies (9 cohort and 16 cross-sectional) reported changes in sleep duration among children and adolescents from before to during the pandemic. Twelve studies (five cohort and seven cross-sectional)27 39 43 50 52 61 66 70–74 reported an increase, two (both cross-sectional)51 54 reported a decrease, and eleven (four cohort and seven cross-sectional)3 20 26 40 49 53 55 56 58 75 76 reported no significant change in sleep duration. The increase in daily sleep duration among children and adolescents ranged from 11 min in Chile and the USA to approximately 1 hour in a multicountry study 39 70 72.…”

Lifestyle changes, mental health, and health-related quality of life in children aged 6–7 years before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Germany

“…A specific questionnaire was arranged for the survey including a modified version of the Sleep Disturbance Scale for children (SDSC) and completed by caregivers. Also Lokandwala et al found changes in sleeping patterns during the pandemic [27]. This study used an Actiwatch Spectrum Plus watch to track sleeping behavior and compared it to data sampled from the same subject before the pandemic.…”