Impact of pre-sleep habits on adolescent sleep: an Italian population-based study

Non-pharmacological and melatonin interventions for pediatric sleep initiation and maintenance problems: A systematic review and network meta-analysis

Sleep initiation and maintenance problems are common in the pediatric population and while behavioral interventions are recommended, their efficacy remains to be evaluated in clinical trials. We conducted a systematic review and network meta-analysis to assess the efficacy of non-pharmacological treatments and melatonin for sleep initiation and maintenance problems in healthy pediatric populations. We included 30 studies in the systematic review and 15 in the meta-analysis. Three network meta-analyses were conducted for sleep onset latency (SOL), wake after sleep onset (WASO), and total sleep time (TST). For SOL variable, the results support greater effectiveness of light therapy and melatonin than evidence-based psychological interventions, whether implemented in combination with light therapy or not. Regarding WASO variable, evidence-based psychological interventions and a combination of those techniques plus light treatment were the most efficacious. Finally, for TST variable, a larger effect was shown for the combined treatment of evidence-based psychological intervention with light therapy in comparison to other interventions. In conclusion, we found a high variability between study protocols likely impacting the results of the meta-analysis. Future randomized control trials studies, stratified by pediatric age classes, are needed in order to provide clear suggestions in clinical settings.

Internet and Video Games: Causes of Behavioral Disorders in Children and Teenagers

Even though video games have been present among children for many years, children are using them more continuously and in an abusive and indiscriminate way nowadays because of the "technological boom". It is affecting the behavior of children and adolescents. This is the reason why we are carrying out this systematic review. The main objective of this article is to investigate literature that directly connects the continuous and undifferentiated use of video games with the emergence of behavioral disorders in children and young people. The PRISMA statement was followed in the process of this article. We used SCOPUS, Web of Science and PubMed as databases, moreover, we searched studies with a scoping review. The results indisputably supported six out of seven of our hypotheses. We find that the excessive use of video games causes addiction to technology, aggressive behaviors, sleep disorders, and poor school performance. In addition, it hinders social relationships and the development of emotional intelligence. To conclude, it is necessary to correctly use video games in particular, and technologies in general, adapting their content to children's age, as well as the amount of time that they dedicate to use them.

Characteristics of Sleep Patterns in Adolescents: Comparisons between Saudi Arabia and the UK

There are concerns regarding sleep deprivation among adolescents, especially with mounting evidence for the importance of sleep during puberty, and its effects on health and families. The present study aimed to characterise sleep in typical development (TD) adolescents in Saudi Arabia, and compare their sleep profiles to TD adolescents in the UK, to evaluate sleep patterns in adolescents in Saudi Arabia, and to examine the relationship between sleep patterns and the use of social media in both groups. Findings from the current study reported a shorter sleep duration for the Saudi Arabia group than in previous studies and the UK group, which may be attributed to the lack of sleep hygiene practised in Saudi Arabia. Multiple analysis of variance results found significant differences in daytime sleepiness (p < 0.001) and a preference for morningness/eveningness (p < 0.001) between Saudia Arabia and UK adolescents. Statistically significant negative correlations (p > 0.05) between the duration of social media usage and sleep duration were found in both the Saudi Arabia and UK adolescents, where a lower number of sleep hours was observed with a higher duration of social media use. This study fills a gap in the research of sleep in Saudi Arabia in adolescents, and offers important insights on the comparison in sleep habits between Saudi Arabia and UK adolescents.

An Exploratory Analysis of the Effect of Demographic Features on Sleeping Patterns and Academic Stress in Adolescents in China

Adolescents typically engage in unhealthy lifestyle habits including short sleep and high academic stress. These in turn may have serious impacts on their development. The present study examines the effect of demographic characteristics on sleep patterns and academic stress in adolescents. A sample of 244 (119 females) junior high school adolescents aged between 11 and 16 were recruited from China. The Student Life Stress Questionnaire and the School Sleep Habits Survey were used to assess participants' sleep habits and academic stress. Multipair and corrected pairwise Kruskal-Wallis tests were conducted to assess the effect of school grade, gender, academic performance level, living situation, single child status, and parental education on adolescents' sleeping patterns and academic stress. Significant changes in facets of sleeping patterns emerged when examining groups of students in terms of school grade, living situation, and single-child status. Furthermore, caffeine consumption was found to be significantly higher in males, in students with poorer academic performances, and in single-child adolescents. Ultimately, academic stress was modulated by adolescents' school grade, academic performances, living situation, and single-child status. Developmental trajectories in sleep patterns together with differential exposure to stressors and adopted coping mechanisms are discussed in the manuscript.