Parental and self-report of sleep in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the prevalence of parent-reported and self-reported sleep disturbances in a sample of school-aged children with attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).


METHODS
Cross-sectional survey questionnaire.


METHODS
A multidisciplinary ADHD evaluation clinic in a children's teaching hospital (ADHD sample) and 3 elementary schools in southern New England (control sample).


METHODS
Forty-six unmedicated, school-aged children (mean age, 89.4 +/- 18.7 months; 74% male) diagnosed as having ADHD by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, criteria who had been screened for marked symptoms of sleep-disordered breathing, and 46 normal control children (mean age, 86.5 +/- 16.9 months; 70% male).


METHODS
None.


METHODS
Sleep habits and sleep disturbances reported by parents and children.


RESULTS
Children with ADHD had significantly higher (more sleep-disturbed) scores on all sleep subscales of the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (parent measure) than did controls; average sleep duration as reported by parents was also significantly shorter in the ADHD group. Children with ADHD also reported their own sleep to be more disturbed than controls did on the Sleep Self-report, particularly on items relating to bedtime struggles (P range, .05-.001). There was a much higher correlation between parent and child sleep report items for the children with ADHD (mean correlation, 0.55) than for the control children.


CONCLUSIONS
Sleep disturbances, particularly at bedtime, are frequently reported by both parents and children with ADHD. Children undergoing evaluation for ADHD should be routinely screened for sleep disturbances, especially symptoms of sleep-disordered breathing. The causes of sleep-onset delay in children with ADHD should be considered in designing intervention strategies for children with difficulty falling and staying asleep.
Owens
J A
JA
Department of Pediatrics, Brown University School of Medicine, Providence, RI, USA. jowens@lifespan.org
Maxim
R
R
Nobile
C
C
McGuinn
M
M
Msall
M
M
D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015986:Confounding Factors, Epidemiologic; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009511:New England / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires