Parents of children with developmental disability have insufficient knowledge about healthy sleep in children

Abstract

Introduction: Since sleep disorders bring many physical and psychological problems in childhood, it is important for parents to have sufficient knowledge about healthy and problematic sleep to detect the sleep disorders from the earliest period. The aim of this study was to examine the knowledge about healthy sleep in children among parents of children with developmental disability. Material and methods: The study included 146 children with developmental disabilities between the ages of 2-17 years old. Children’s sleep durations were classified into two groups, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommendations (sleeps at recommended levels/sleeps below the recommended levels). The difference between these groups was analyzed with the Independent Samples T Test. Results: The mean age of the children with developmental disabilities was 5.48 ± 2.42 years. In this study, only 2.74% of the parents of children with developmental disability answered more than 50% of the questions correctly. Par-ents of children who sleep at recommended levels had higher Parents’ Sleep Knowledge Inventory (PSKI) total scores than parents of children who sleep below the recommended levels (p = 0.047). Conclusions: It was determined that parents have insufficient knowledge about healthy sleep in children. This can explain the difference between children’s sleep-related characteristics, and emphasize the need to increase the number of studies on parents’ knowledge levels.