Night-waking trajectories and associated factors in French preschoolers from the EDEN birth-cohort

Intrafamilial associations of sleep multitrajectory groups between ages of 3 and 60 months in the SEPAGES cohort

OBJECTIVES

We investigated intrafamilial sleep evolution by identifying children's sleep multitrajectory groups between 3- and 60-month of age and their association with parental sleep multitrajectory groups.

METHODS

We included 180 children from the SEPAGES cohort (Grenoble, France) whose parents belonged to previously identified sleep multitrajectory groups, through group-based multitrajectory modeling, between 3 and 36months postpartum, using nighttime (NSD) and weekend daytime (DSD) sleep durations and subjective sleep loss, comprising "No," "Subjective," and "Global" sleep problems groups. Child sleep information (NSD, DSD, subjective sleep loss, night waking, and sleep onset difficulties) was collected by parental questionnaires at 3-, 12-, 36-, and 60-month. We identified sleep multitrajectory groups using group-based multitrajectory modeling in children and examined their associations with parental sleep multitrajectory groups using multinomial logistic regressions.

RESULTS

We identified three sleep multitrajectory groups in children: the "No/few" group (29.4%) had moderate NSD, long DSD, low subjective sleep loss/night waking/sleep onset difficulties prevalence, the "Moderate" group (60.0%) had long NSD and moderate DSD, and medium subjective sleep loss/night waking/sleep onset difficulties prevalence, and the "Global" group (10.6%) had the shortest NSD and DSD, and the highest subjective sleep loss/night waking/sleep onset difficulties prevalence. After adjusting for covariates, mothers in the "Global" group were more likely to have children in the same group, and mothers in "Subjective" and "Global" groups were less likely to have children in the "Moderate" group than in the "No/few" group. No association was identified with paternal or couple sleep multitrajectory groups.

CONCLUSIONS

The observed associations between parent-child sleep multitrajectory groups suggest greater maternal sensitivity to or involvement in the child's sleep than the fathers. Early preventive sleep actions could improve sleep in children and mothers.

Group-based sleep trajectories in children and adolescents: A systematic review

Sleep is crucial for health and development. Evidence indicates that sleep changes over time and distinct subgroups may experience different longitudinal patterns. This study systematically reviewed the studies that used latent trajectory modeling to investigate sleep trajectories of children and adolescents aged 0-18 years, and summarized the associated determinants and health-related outcomes. We searched PubMed, Embase, CENTRAL, PsycINFO, and Web of Science, identifying 46 articles that met our criteria. To ensure the reliability of the review, only studies rated as good or fair in terms of methodological quality were included, resulting in a total of 36 articles. Group-based trajectories were identified on several sleep dimensions (i.e., sleep duration, general and specific sleep problems, and bed-sharing behavior) and three or four trajectories were reported in most studies. There was a convergence trend across sleep duration trajectories during the first six years of life. Studies on specific sleep problem (i.e., insomnia, night-waking, and sleep-onset difficulties) typically identified two trajectories: consistent, minimal symptoms or chronic yet fluctuating symptoms. Lower socioeconomic status, maternal depression, and night feeding behaviors were the most frequently reported determinants of sleep trajectories. Membership in a group with certain adverse patterns (e.g., persistent short sleep duration) was associated with increased risks of multiple negative health-related conditions, such as obesity, compromised immunity, neurological problems, substance use, or internalizing/externalizing symptoms. Generally, there is potential to improve the quality of studies in this field. Causality is hard to be inferred within the current body of literature. Future studies could emphasize early life sleep, incorporate more assessment timepoints, use objective measures, and employ experimental design to better understand changes of and mechanisms behind the various sleep trajectories and guide targeted interventions for at-risk subpopulations.

Longitudinal sleep multi-trajectories from age 1 to 5.5 years and their early correlates: results from the Étude Longitudinale Française depuis l'Enfance birth cohort study

STUDY OBJECTIVES

To identify sleep multi-trajectories in children from age 1 to 5.5 years and their early correlates.

METHODS

We collected early family, maternal, and child characteristics, including children's nighttime sleep duration (NSD) and daytime sleep duration (DSD), night waking (NW), and sleep-onset difficulties (SOD), by parental phone interviews at age 2 months and 1-, 2-, 3.5-, and 5.5 years. Group-based multi-trajectory modeling identified sleep multi-trajectory groups. Multinomial logistic regression assessed associations with early factors.

RESULTS

We identified five distinct sleep multi-trajectory groups for NSD, DSD, NW, and SOD in 9273 included children. The "Good sleepers" (31.6%) and "Long sleepers" (31.0%) groups had low NW and SOD prevalence and shorter NSD but longer DSD in "Good sleepers" than in "Long sleepers." The "Good sleepers but few SOD" group (10.3%) had long NSD and DSD but a SOD peak at age 3.5 years; the "Improving NW and SOD" group (9.6%) showed short but rapidly increasing NSD to a plateau and high but decreasing NW and SOD; the "Persistent NW and SOD" group (17.5%) had persistent high NW and SOD. Maternal depression during pregnancy and sleep habits at age 1 (e.g. parental presence or feeding to fall asleep, sleeping at least part of the night away from own bed) were common risk factors associated with the most disordered sleep multi-trajectory groups.

CONCLUSIONS

We identified distinct sleep multi-trajectory groups and early life-associated factors in preschoolers. Most of the factors associated with the most sleep-disordered multi-trajectory groups are likely modifiable and provide clues for early prevention interventions.

Perinatal Physiological and Psychological Risk Factors and Childhood Sleep Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of maternal physiological and psychological factors during pregnancy and after birth on infant and children's sleep outcomes.

METHODS

Six databases were searched from inception to April 2021. Longitudinal studies that investigated the association of risk factors during and after pregnancy and children's sleep-related outcomes were included. Hedge's g and odds ratio were pooled as effect size with random effects model.

RESULTS

A total of 32 articles were included. Both prenatal maternal alcohol use (odds ratio [OR] = 1.85, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.04-3.28) and tobacco smoking (OR = 1.28, 95% CI: 1.01-1.62) were associated with shorter child sleep duration. Prenatal and postnatal maternal depression symptoms were associated with increased child sleep problems at age 6 months (OR = 1.97, 95% CI: 1.19-3.24, and 2.05, 95% CI: 1.37-3.07, respectively). Prenatal and postnatal maternal major depression disorders were associated with shorter sleep duration (Hedge's g = -0.97, 95% CI: -1.57 to -0.37) and lower sleep efficiency (Hedge's g = -1.44, 95% CI: -1.93 to -0.95). Prenatal anxiety had no impact on child sleep problems (OR = 1.34, 95% CI: 0.86-2.10).

CONCLUSION

Maternal pregnancy and obstetric factors and psychological factors are potential risk factors of poor child sleep health. Future research is warranted to better understand the impact of these risk factors on long-term child sleep outcomes and their potential mediating mechanisms.

Measurement of screen time among young children aged 0-6 years: A systematic review

The impact of screen-based devices on children's health and development cannot be properly understood without valid and reliable tools that measure screen time within the evolving digital landscape. This review aimed to summarize characteristics of measurement tools used to assess screen time in young children; evaluate reporting of psychometric properties; and examine time trends related to measurement and reporting of screen time. A systematic review of articles published in English across three databases from January 2009 to April 2020 was undertaken using PROSPERO protocol (registration: CRD42019132599) and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Included articles measured screen time as outcome, exposure, or confounder in children 0-6 years. The search identified 35,868 records, 1035 full-text articles were screened for eligibility, and 622 met inclusion criteria. Most measures (60%) consisted of one to three items and assessed duration of screen time on a usual day. Few measures assessed content (11%) or coviewing (7%). Only 40% of articles provided a citation for the measure, and only 69 (11%) reported psychometric properties-reliability n = 58, validity n = 19, reliability and validity n = 8. Between 2009 and 2019, the number of published articles increased from 28 to 71. From 2015, there was a notable increase in the proportion of articles published each year that assessed exposure to mobile devices in addition to television. The increasing number of published articles reflects increasing interest in screen time exposure among young children. Measures of screen time have generally evolved to reflect children's contemporary digital landscape; however, the psychometric properties of measurement tools are rarely reported. There is a need for improved measures and reporting to capture the complexity of children's screen time exposures.

Night-sleep Duration Trajectories and Behavior in Preschoolers: Results from a Prospective Birth Cohort Study

Background: Short sleep duration is associated with concomitant behavioral difficulties, but the longitudinal association between sleep duration and later behavior in early childhood remains unclear. The aim was to study the association between sleep duration trajectories throughout preschool and behavior at age 5-6 years.Participants: 1021 children of the French birth-cohort EDEN were included in this study.Methods: Night-sleep duration trajectories were modeled on the basis of repeated measures collected at age 2, 3 and 5-6 years by parental questionnaires. Behavior was assessed with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), with five subscales measuring conduct problems, emotional symptoms, peer relation problems, antisocial behavior, and hyperactivity-inattention problems. The subscales were dichotomized by the 25th percentile. Multivariable logistic regression, adjusted for baseline behavior, and assessment of multiple confounding factors allowed for studying the independent association between night-sleep duration trajectories from age 2 to 5-6 and behavior at age 5-6.Results: Five distinct sleep-duration trajectories were identified. At age 5-6 years, probability of hyperactivity-inattention problems was increased for boys belonging to the "short sleep" and "medium-low sleep" duration trajectory and girls belonging to the "changing sleep" duration trajectory as compared with children with the medium-high sleep duration trajectory (boys: OR 2.69 [95% CI 1.18-6.16], p = .03 and 1.95 [1.25-3.03], p = .003, and girls: OR 2.79 [1.09- 7.17], p = .03). No associations were observed with the other SDQ subscales.Conclusion: The persistence of short night-sleep durations in preschool years as well as a sudden decrease at age 3 are risk factors of hyperactivity-inattention problems at school start.Abbreviations: SS: short-sleep duration trajectory; MLS: medium-low-sleep duration trajectory; MHS: medium-high-sleep duration trajectory; LS: long-sleep duration trajectory; CS: changing-sleep duration trajectory.

Longitudinal sleep problem trajectories are associated with multiple impairments in child well-being

BACKGROUND

This study examined whether distinct sleep problem trajectories from infancy through middle childhood were associated with multiple aspects of child well-being at ages 10-11 years.

METHODS

Data were from the first six waves of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children - Birth Cohort (5,107 children recruited at birth). Caregivers reported on child sleep problems at each time point. A combination of caregiver-reported, teacher-reported and child-completed tasks were used to index child well-being outcomes at ages 10-11 years including emotional/behavioural functioning (internalizing and externalizing symptoms; self-control), health-related quality of life, cognitive skills and academic achievement.

RESULTS

Latent class analysis identified five distinct sleep problem trajectories over time: persistent sleep problems through middle childhood (7.7% of the sample), limited infant/preschool sleep problems (9.0%), increased middle childhood sleep problems (17.0%), mild sleep problems over time (14.4%) and no sleep problems (51.9%). Compared to those with no sleep problems, children with persistent sleep problems had the greatest impairments across all outcomes except cognitive skills (perceptual reasoning), with moderate to large effect sizes. Children with increased middle childhood sleep problems similarly experienced greater internalizing and externalizing symptoms and worse quality of life, but few academic impairments. Both the limited infant/preschool sleep problems and mild increases over time trajectories also showed internalizing concerns and worse caregiver-reported quality of life, although effects were smaller than the other sleep trajectories.

CONCLUSIONS

The linkages between sleep problems and negative child outcomes across domains underscore the importance of early identification and targeted intervention to address sleep problems and promote child well-being.

Associations of screen time, sedentary time and physical activity with sleep in under 5s: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Sleep is crucial to children's health and development. Reduced physical activity and increased screen time adversely impact older children's sleep, but little is known about these associations in children under 5 y. This systematic review examined the association between screen time/movement behaviors (sedentary behavior, physical activity) and sleep outcomes in infants (0-1 y); toddlers (1-2 y); and preschoolers (3-4 y). Evidence was selected according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines and synthesized using vote counting based on the direction of association. Quality assessment and a Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation was performed, stratified according to child age, exposure and outcome measure. Thirty-one papers were included. Results indicate that screen time is associated with poorer sleep outcomes in infants, toddlers and preschoolers. Meta-analysis confirmed these unfavorable associations in infants and toddlers but not preschoolers. For movement behaviors results were mixed, though physical activity and outdoor play in particular were favorably associated with most sleep outcomes in toddlers and preschoolers. Overall, quality of evidence was very low, with strongest evidence for daily/evening screen time use in toddlers and preschoolers. Although high-quality experimental evidence is required, our findings should prompt parents, clinicians and educators to encourage sleep-promoting behaviors (e.g., less evening screen time) in the under 5s.

Sleep habits and sleep characteristics at age one year in the ELFE birth cohort study

OBJECTIVE

Infant sleep plays a critical role in normal development. Sleep problems, including sleep onset difficulties (SODs) and night waking (NW), range from 20% to 30% in infants and young children and can be persistent over time up to adulthood. Young French children seem to have longer sleep durations and less sleep troubles than their counterparts worldwide. Here, we aimed at describing infant sleep characteristics (total sleep time (TST)/24 h, NW, and SODs) and associated sleep habits in infants at age one year from the French nationwide birth cohort Etude Longitudinale Française depuis l'Enfance (ELFE).

METHODS

This study included 11,783 infants with information on both sleep characteristics and sleep habits (parental presence when falling asleep, eating to fall asleep, sucking a pacifier or finger to sleep and sleep arrangement and location). Associations were studied by multinomial logistic regression analyses adjusted for familial and infant characteristics.

RESULTS

Mean TST was 13 h36 min including 2 h54 min of naps; 20% of the infants had TST ≤12 h/24 h. About 46% did not present SOD or NW, 16% had frequent SODs and 22% had NW > 1 night in 2. Parental presence, feeding to fall asleep and infant sleep arrangements were frequent in infants with short sleep duration (≤12 h/24 h), NW and SODs. Non-nutritive sucking was associated with risk of NW, SOD and TST >14 h/24 h. Parental room sharing was associated with NW.

CONCLUSION

This work provides new information on infant sleep arrangements and non-nutritive sucking that should be accounted for when considering sleep behaviors. In addition, most identified sleep habits associated with poor sleep characteristics may be amenable to change.

Sleep Problem Trajectories and Cumulative Socio-Ecological Risks: Birth to School-Age

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate whether there are distinct childhood sleep problem trajectories from birth to 10-11 years and to assess associations with cumulative socio-ecological risks (child, family, context).

STUDY DESIGN

Participants were 5107 children from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children-Birth Cohort. At birth, cumulative risk indexes were generated for birth, parenting, family, socioeconomic, and neighborhood risks. Parent-reported child sleep problems were assessed biennially from ages 0-1 to 10-11 years. Sleep problem trajectories were derived using latent class analysis. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine associations with risk indexes.

RESULTS

Five distinct trajectories emerged: persistent sleep problems through middle childhood (7.7%), limited infant/preschool sleep problems (9.0%), increased middle childhood sleep problems (17.0%), mild sleep problems over time (14.4%), and no sleep problems (51.9%). Cumulative mother- and father-reported family risks (distress; marital/relational hostility) were linked to nearly all of the trajectories, whereas father- and mother-reported parenting risks were associated with fewer trajectories. Birth risks were associated with increased middle childhood sleep problems. Neighborhood risks were not associated with any trajectories. Socioeconomic risks were linked to mild and persistent sleep problem trajectories. Cumulative risk indexes were most associated with increased middle childhood sleep problems.

CONCLUSIONS

This study identified distinct longitudinal sleep problem trajectories, suggesting the need for continuous sleep screening over development. Cumulative risks assessed at birth-primarily maternal and paternal family risks-predicted these trajectories, especially for the sleep problems in middle childhood trajectory. Preventive interventions targeting modifiable factors, particularly caregiver distress and marital/relational hostility, could benefit child sleep.

Association of night-waking and inattention/hyperactivity symptoms trajectories in preschool-aged children

The objective was to study the longitudinal associations between inattention/hyperactivity symptoms and night-waking in preschool-years, in light of their joint evolution. Within the French birth-cohort study EDEN, repeated measures of 1342 children’s night-waking and inattention/hyperactivity symptoms were collected at age 2, 3 and 5–6 through questionnaires. Trajectories were computed using group-based modeling. Logistic regressions, adjusted for confounding factors, were used to measure the association between trajectories and to determine risk factors for belonging to the identified joint trajectories. Two night-waking trajectories were observed, 20% of the children had a trajectory of “common night-waking”, and 80% a trajectory of “rare night-waking”. The children were distributed in three inattention/hyperactivity trajectories, a low (47%), medium (40%) and high one (13%). Both night-waking and inattention/hyperactivity trajectories showed persistence of difficulties in preschool years. The risk of presenting a high inattention/hyperactivity trajectory compared to a low one was of 4.19[2.68–6.53] for common night-wakers, compared to rare night-wakers. Factors associated with joint trajectories were parent’s education level and history of childhood behavioral problems, and the child’s gender, night-sleep duration and collective care at 2 years of age. Results suggest that children presenting behavioral difficulties would benefit from a systematic investigation of their sleep quality and conversely.

Night sleep duration trajectories and associated factors among preschool children from the EDEN cohort

OBJECTIVE

Sleep duration may vary both interindividually and intraindividually over time. We aimed to identify night-sleep duration (NSD) trajectories among preschoolers and to study associated factors.

METHODS

NSD was collected within the French birth-cohort study EDEN at ages 2, 3, and 5-6 years through parental questionnaires, and were used to model NSD trajectories among 1205 children. Familial socioeconomic factors, maternal sociodemographic, health and lifestyle characteristics, as well as child health, lifestyle, and sleep characteristics at birth and/or at age two years were investigated in association with NSD using multinomial logistic regressions.

RESULTS

Five distinct NSD trajectories were identified: short (SS, <10 h, 4.9%), medium-low (MLS, <11 h, 47.8%), medium-high (MHS, ≈11.5 h, 37.2%), long (LS, ≥11.5 h, 4.5%) and changing (CS, ie, ≥11.5 h then <11 h, 5.6%) NSD trajectories. Multivariable analyses showed in particular that compared to the MHS trajectory factors associated with increased risk for the SS trajectory were male gender, first child, maternal age and working status, night-waking, parental presence when falling asleep, television-viewing duration, as well as both "Processed and fast foods" and the "Baby food" dietary patterns at age two years. Factors positively associated with the CS trajectory were maternal smoking, feeding at night, and the Processed and fast foods dietary pattern at age two years, whereas child's activity and emotionality scores at age one year were negatively associated.

CONCLUSION

We identified distinct NSD trajectories among preschoolers and associated early life factors. Some of them may reflect less healthy lifestyles, providing cues for early multi-behavioral prevention interventions.