Developmental Course and Determinants of Sleep Disturbances in Adolescents With Spina Bifida

Impact of Spina Bifida on Sleep Quality: Current Insights

Spina bifida (SB) is one of the most common birth defects in children. The care for patients with SB continues to evolve, and there has been notable improvement in survival outcomes, degree of disability and quality of life for these children. However, patients with SB continue to remain at higher risk for sleep-related breathing disorders (SRBD), unexplained sudden death, and potential alterations in their sleep chronotype. Previous studies report on abnormalities in the spinal cord, brainstem function, and dysfunction of upper airway maintenance as the likely mechanisms behind SRBD that is commonly seen in SB. Most studies looking at prevalence of SRBD in SB have been retrospective studies. A recent prospective study identified a prevalence as high as 42% when a polysomnography (PSG) was completed on all patients regardless of symptomatology. Treatment options vary depending on the type and severity of SRBD and can range widely. Despite advances in care for patients with SB and SRBD, a subset of these patients with myelomeningocele (MMC) continue to experience sudden unexplained death. Studies continue to evaluate ways to stratify which of these patients may be at higher risk of this devastating outcome. Given that SRBD is potentially treatable, early assessment and intervention could become an integral part of a multidisciplinary treatment strategy to optimize long-term medical and neurodevelopmental outcomes for this patient population. By understanding the impact that SB may have on a patient's sleep quality, their biological chronotype and their potential of developing SRBD, a provider may help to optimize the care a patient with SB receives from birth into adulthood.

Sleep Disturbance and Its Association With Sluggish Cognitive Tempo and Attention in Pediatric Brain Tumor Survivors

Background

Pediatric brain tumor (PBT) survivors are at risk for developing sleep disturbances. While in other pediatric populations sleep disturbance has been associated with worse cognitive functioning, it is unclear to what extent this relationship generalizes to PBT survivors. The aim of the current study was to assess the relationship between sleep disturbance and aspects of cognition, including sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) as well as attention and working memory.

Materials and Methods

Eighty-three PBT survivors 6–18 years of age who were at least 3 months post-treatment were included in the present cross-sectional study. Level of sleep disturbance was measured as a composite score reflecting various sleep problems as rated by caregivers. Cognitive measures included caregiver-ratings of sluggish cognitive tempo and attention problems, as well as performance-based cognitive measures assessing attention and executive functioning. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to assess associations between sleep and cognition.

Results

Of all caregivers, 32.5% reported one or more sleep disturbances as “very/often true” and over 68% of caregivers rated at least one sleep-related item as “somewhat true.” Of all cognitive variables, scores were most frequently impaired for SCT (30%). A higher level of sleep disturbance was associated with worse SCT and parent-rated attention problems. Associations between sleep and performance-based cognitive measures assessing attention and working memory were not statistically significant.

Conclusion

Findings of the current study highlight the importance of further investigation into the relationship between sleep and cognition in PBT survivors, which may assist efforts to maximize cognitive outcome and health-related quality of life in PBT survivors. The current study additionally suggests further investigation of SCT in this population is warranted, as it may be more sensitive to detecting possible associations with sleep disturbance relative to discrete measures that assess cognitive performance under ideal circumstances.

Team Approach: The Management of Adolescents and Adults with Scoliosis and Spina Bifida

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Globally, the prevalence of myelomeningocele, the most common subtype of spina bifida, is 0.2 to 6.5 per 1,000 live births. In the U.S., adults account for >67% of the overall population with spina bifida.

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With an estimated prevalence of up to 50%, scoliosis is one of the most common and severe orthopaedic conditions in patients with myelomeningocele.

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The variable effects that scoliosis can have on an individual, the comorbidities associated with progressive scoliosis, and the risks associated with spine surgery call for a strong partnership and care coordination between medical and surgical teams to deliver a patient-centered approach.

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A coordinated, structured, planned, and incremental team approach can help individuals achieve the overall goals of functionality and independence, as well as successful transition to adulthood.

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Teams should consider a patient's social determinants of health (e.g., poverty or language barriers) and the effect of scoliosis on quality of life before proceeding with spinal deformity correction.

Adults with spina bifida: A cross-sectional study of health issues and living conditions

OBJECTIVE

To describe health issues and living conditions in a cohort of adults living with Spina bifida.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted by a multidisciplinary team. Adults with spina bifida (n = 219) were invited to participate. One-hundred-and-ninety-six persons (104 women and 92 men; 18-73 years, median age 33 years) were included. Structured interviews, questionnaires, and clinical assessments for medical, social, physical, and cognitive functions were used.

RESULTS

There was large variation among participants as regards the consequences of their spina bifida. Individuals < 46 years seemed to have more secondary conditions such as hydrocephalus, Chiari II malformation, tethered cord symptoms, and latex allergy. A higher proportion of the individuals >46 years and older was able to walk, and they had performed better in primary school and on tests of psychomotor speed and executive function.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrates that adults with spina bifida have a complex set of physical, cognitive, and social needs that need to be addressed in order to improve their health issues and living conditions. The high prevalence of urinary and fecal incontinence, pain, and overweight underline that these issues need much attention during follow-up. The future generations of older adults may need more attention in many ways, since they at a younger age do have more complex medical conditions, lower physical and cognitive functions, and lower prerequisites for independent living and participation in society than those > 46 years today. This elucidates that adults with spina bifida need systematic follow-up services and social support throughout life.

The effects of family dysfunction trajectories during childhood and early adolescence on sleep quality during late adolescence: Resilience as a mediator

RATIONALE

Sleep quality has been linked to several behavioral and psychological problems. No longitudinal study has examined the associations and underlying mechanisms between the trajectories of family characteristics and sleep quality in adolescents.

OBJECTIVE

This study investigates the effects of heterogeneous trajectories of family dysfunction on sleep quality in adolescents and examines whether resilience mediates these associations.

METHOD

Data came from 2280 adolescents participating in a longitudinal study across grades 2 through 11 in northern Taiwan. Group-based trajectory modeling was used to identify discrete developmental patterns of family dysfunction. Multiple linear regression was applied to examine the associations between family dysfunction trajectories and sleep quality. Mediation analysis was conducted to test whether resilience mediates the associations examined.

RESULTS

Four distinct trajectories of family dysfunction were identified: low persistent (26%), escalating dysfunction (21%), moderate stable (25%), and high persistent (28%). Compared to adolescents in the low-persistent trajectory, those in the escalating-dysfunction, moderate-stable, and high-persistent trajectories had significant lower levels of sleep quality (B = -0.19, p < .001, B = -0.14, p < .01, and B = -0.13, p < .05, respectively). Resilience significantly mediated the effects of all family dysfunction trajectories (relative to the low-persistent trajectory) on sleep quality (95% bootstrap confidence intervals are -0.06 to -0.02, -0.05 to -0.02, and -0.08 to -0.03 for escalating-dysfunction, moderate-stable, and high-persistent trajectories, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Family dysfunction conferred risks for poor sleep quality in adolescents and the negative effects, in part, were through decreasing resilience. Interventions to improve sleep quality in adolescents by targeting family function may be more effective when incorporating resilience.

Sleep Problems as Consequence, Contributor, and Comorbidity: Introduction to the Special Issue on Sleep, Published in Coordination With Special Issues in Clinical Practice in Pediatric Psychology and Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics

Despite long-standing public and scientific interest in the phenomenon of sleep, the current decade has shown tremendous growth in our understanding of the sleep of children who have medical or developmental conditions. To accommodate, promote, and guide that growth, Journal of Pediatric Psychology, Clinical Practice in Pediatric Psychology, and Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics have published coordinated special issues, encompassing >30 relevant articles. This article introduces the special issue in Journal of Pediatric Psychology, highlighting papers that illustrate how sleep problems are not only commonly comorbid with childhood medical and developmental conditions; they are also likely caused by and contribute to these conditions. In doing so, these coordinated special issues guide clinical care and reveal opportunities for future research.