Fussy Babies: To Treat or Not to Treat?

In this prospective study, the developmental outcomes of 39 infants with high irritability and sensory processing problems, also described as regulatory disordered, were examined at 7–30 months and at 3 years using clinical interdisciplinary assessment. Infants with regulatory disorders were defined as being behaviourally difficult with disturbances in sleep, feeding, state control, self-calming, mood regulation and sensory processing. The performance of samples of infants with regulatory disorders, 13 untreated and 26 treated, and 11 normal children were compared at 3 years. All subjects in the clinical sample were offered 12 weeks of Intervention after the initial assessment to address regulatory problems. Of the 39 subjects, 26 chose treatment, thus resulting in a self-selected treated sample. Post hoc analysis revealed that, at 7–30 months, untreated subjects had more sleep problems and were more irritable whereas treated subjects had more feeding problems and their mothers reported feeling depressed. At 3 years, the children with regulatory disorders differed from their normal counterparts in sensory integration, mood regulation, attention, motor control, sleep and behavioural control. Untreated subjects showed more emotional and behavioural problems than treated subjects. Treated subjects had more motor and sensory integrative problems than untreated subjects but, despite the fact that they had more constitutional problems, they did not show the emotional and behavioural problems that were found in the untreated group. The clinical importance of these findings for occupational therapists is discussed.

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The moderating effect of cognitive abilities on the association between sensory processing and emotional and behavioural problems and social participation in autistic individuals

Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders ◽

10.1016/j.rasd.2020.101663 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 78 ◽

pp. 101663 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

M.F. Werkman ◽

S. Brouwer ◽

Y.M. Dijkxhoorn ◽

I.A. van Berckelaer-Onnes ◽

S.A. Reijneveld ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sensory Processing ◽

Social Participation ◽

Cognitive Abilities ◽

Moderating Effect ◽

Behavioural Problems ◽

Emotional And Behavioural Problems

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Difficulties in Getting to Sleep and their Association with Emotional and Behavioural Problems in Adolescents: Does the Sleeping Duration Influence this Association?

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17051691 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (5) ◽

pp. 1691 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Michaela Kosticova ◽

Daniela Husarova ◽

Zuzana Dankulincova

Keyword(s):

Sleep Duration ◽

Sleep Problems ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Age Groups ◽

Binary Logistic Regression ◽

International Classification Of Diseases ◽

Behavioural Problems ◽

Emotional And Behavioural Problems ◽

Logistic Regression Models ◽

And Gender

Sleep problems are common in adolescence with a negative impact on the mental health and functioning of adolescents. However, the roles of different sleep problems in relation to emotional and behavioural problems (EBPs), classified according to the 10th version of the International Classification of Diseases as emotional, conduct, hyperactivity and social functioning disorders, are not clear. The first aim of the study was to investigate the association between difficulties in getting to sleep and EBPs in adolescents. The second aim was to explore the role of sleep duration in this association. We used data from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study conducted in 2018 in Slovakia. Presented are results for specific age groups of 13-year-old (N = 1909) and 15-year-old (N = 1293) adolescents. Subjective measures of sleep variables were used. Binary logistic regression models adjusted for age and gender were used to assess associations between difficulties in getting to sleep, sleep duration and EBPs measured using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Modification of the association between difficulties in getting to sleep and EBPs by sleep duration was also explored. We found that difficulties in getting to sleep at least once a week as well as insufficient sleep (less than 8 h) increased the probability of EBPs. Interactions of sleep duration with difficulties in getting to sleep on EBPs were found to be non-significant. The results suggest that caregivers and clinicians should screen and intervene for both sleep quality and quantity problems in adolescents as they might indicate and promote EBPs.

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P036 Trajectories of emotional and behavioural problems in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children: Role of sleep and cultural attachment

SLEEP Advances ◽

10.1093/sleepadvances/zpab014.084 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. A33-A33

Author(s):

Y Fatima ◽

R Bucks ◽

S King ◽

S Solomon ◽

T Skinner

Keyword(s):

Torres Strait Islander ◽

Sleep Problems ◽

Cultural Practice ◽

Behavioural Problem ◽

Behavioural Problems ◽

Emotional And Behavioural Problems ◽

Logistic Regression Models ◽

Indigenous Children ◽

Torres Strait ◽

Cultural Attachment

Abstract Purpose This study explored the link between sleep and emotional and behavioural problems and assessed whether cultural attachment reduces the risk of emotional and behavioural problems in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (Indigenous) children. Methods The data from wave 5 to wave 10 of the Footprints in Time cohort were used. Multi-trajectory modelling was used to identify sleep trajectories using weekday sleep duration, weekday bedtimes, wake times, and sleep problems (waves 5, 7 & 10). Trajectories of emotional and behavioural problems were derived from the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) data (waves 6, 8 & 10). Cultural attachment assessment included the knowledge of Indigenous language, clan, people, family stories/history and other cultural practice. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to assess the link between sleep and emotional and behavioural problems. Results Analysis of sleep data from 1270 Indigenous children (50.6% females, mean age 6.3 years (±1.5)) identified four distinct trajectories: early sleepers/early risers (19.3%); early/long sleepers (22.1%), normative sleepers (47.8%), and late sleepers (10.8%). Three emotional and behavioural problem trajectories emerged: low stable (49.1%), high decreasing (40.5%), and high stable (10.4%). Early sleepers//early risers (OR: 0.48, 95% CI: 0.28–0.82) and children with strong cultural attachment (OR: 0.47, 95% CI: 0.27–0.82) had lower odds of being in the high emotional and behavioural problem trajectory group. Conclusions Early bedtime in children may reduce the risk of future emotional and behavioural problems. The protective effect of cultural attachment further highlights the need for strengths-based approaches to reduce mental health issues in Indigenous children.

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