Treatment of infant sleep disturbance by trimeprazine in combination with extinction.
Chronic sleep disturbance is a common problem in preschool children. Prescription and non-prescription sedatives provide short-term palliative relief. Behavioral extinction by withdrawal of parental attention is enduringly effective but may be distressing short-term because of postextinction bursts of intense activity by the child. This study evaluated the effects of combining extinction and sedative medication (trimeprazine tartrate), prescribed in a reducing dose over the first 10 days of extinction. Control groups received either extinction alone or a placebo administered double-blind. After baseline, all subjects reduced their sleep disturbance to low levels, the extinction and placebo groups declining slowly, the medication group abruptly. These gains were maintained at follow-up. Measures of infant security and maternal anxiety showed improvements with treatment.
Department of Psychology, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand.
K G
KG
France
N M
NM
Blampied
P
P
Wilkinson
D001143:Arousal / Q000187:drug effects; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003448:Crying; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005108:Extinction, Psychological / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D014291:Trimeprazine / Q000008:administration & dosage*
D014291:Trimeprazine