Differences between objective and subjective sleep measures in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

STUDY OBJECTIVES

To assess sleep characteristics in children with ADHD through polysomnographic recordings and parental reports of sleep problems.

METHODS

Standard overnight polysomnography evaluation was performed to record sleep in 27 children with ADHD and 26 healthy controls, aged 7 to 12 years. The diagnosis of ADHD was determined by the Korean version of the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children-Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL-K). Children taking any medications or in poor health were excluded. All the subjects were assessed with the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire which was completed by parents. Overall neurobehavioral functioning was examined using various questionnaires, including the Child Behavioral Checklist (CBCL).

RESULTS

Based on the findings from the questionnaire, the ADHD group had significantly higher scores on the sleep onset delay (p = 0.027), sleep duration (p = 0.032), night waking (p = 0.006), parasomnias (p = 0.016), daytime sleepiness (p = 0.007), and total sleep disturbance factors (p < 0.001) than children in the control group. However, there were no differences between ADHD and healthy groups on any polysomnographic variables, including sleep structure, arousals, and respiratory disturbances. Reported sleep problems were significantly associated with almost all subscales of CBCL as well as CBCL total score.

CONCLUSIONS

The majority of sleep problems reported by the parents of ADHD children were not verified through the use of polysomnography. These findings raise the possibility that some of the reported sleep problems in ADHD may be related to disturbing behaviors which often characterize children with ADHD.