Infant Sleep Problems Linked to Later Emotional Disorders in Children

Infants with severe, persistent sleep problems had more than doubled risk for emotional and anxiety problems at age 10.

Sleep problems, common in infancy, have been associated with emotional and behavioral issues in early childhood. However, it is unknown whether such mental health risk persists into middle childhood. To study this, researchers used data from a longitudinal study of 1460 first-time mother–infant pairs. Mothers reported the frequency of night awakenings and perception of infant sleep problems at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months. From these data, infants were clustered into three profiles: persistent/severe sleep problems (19.4%), moderate/fluctuating sleep problems (56.0%), or settled (24.7%).

In multivariate modeling, compared with the settled group, infants in the persistent/severe group were:

2.4 times more likely to meet criteria for an emotional dis…

Reviewing Author

Jenny Radesky, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardMelissa & Doug Toys (Consultant and Board of Directors)

Grant/Research SupportNational Institute for Child Health and Development; National Institutes of Health

Jenny Radesky, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardMelissa & Doug Toys (Consultant and Board of Directors)

Grant/Research SupportNational Institute for Child Health and Development; National Institutes of Health

Infant Sleep Problems Linked to Later Emotional Disorders in Children

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Reviewing Author