Petersen Sacha, Francis Kate L, Reddihough Dinah S, Lima Sally, Harvey Adrienne, Newall Fiona
Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Neurodevelopment and Disability, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
J Paediatr Child Health. 2020 Jul;56(7):1108-1113. doi: 10.1111/jpc.14830. Epub 2020 Feb 26.
Sleep problems are common in school-aged children with cerebral palsy (CP). Despite the significant impact of sleep disturbance and deprivation, there is a paucity of research in the area. The aims of this study were to (i) investigate the frequency of sleep problems in children with CP and their parents and (ii) understand what happens when parents ask for help with sleep problems from their health-care professionals.
This was a prospective cohort study using an online survey sent to parents/primary care givers of children with CP aged 6-12 years recruited through the Victorian Cerebral Palsy Register. The following sleep assessment tools: The Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the Gross Motor Function Classification System Parent Rating Tool were administered along with custom-designed questions that were informed by a preceding qualitative scoping study.
Complete data sets were received from 126 parents/care givers. Almost half (46%) of the parents reported their child had sleep problems. Of the 64 parents who reported seeking help for a child's sleep problem, only 21 indicated that their attempt was successful. If a child had poor sleep, the parent was more likely to have a sleep problem than parents who did not report poor child sleeping.
Sleep problems are common in children with CP and their parents. Parents do not always seek help, and those who do may not find an effective solution. Future research should explore how sleep problems can be effectively prioritised for children with CP and their parents/care givers.
睡眠问题在学龄期脑瘫（CP）儿童中很常见。尽管睡眠障碍和剥夺有重大影响，但该领域的研究却很少。本研究的目的是：（i）调查脑瘫儿童及其父母睡眠问题的发生率；（ii）了解当父母就睡眠问题向医护人员求助时会发生什么情况。
这是一项前瞻性队列研究，通过向通过维多利亚脑瘫登记处招募的6至12岁脑瘫儿童的父母/主要照顾者发送在线调查问卷进行。使用了以下睡眠评估工具：儿童睡眠习惯问卷、匹兹堡睡眠质量指数和粗大运动功能分类系统家长评定工具，同时还设置了根据先前的定性范围研究设计的定制问题。
共收到126名父母/照顾者的完整数据集。近一半（46%）的父母报告他们的孩子有睡眠问题。在报告为孩子的睡眠问题寻求帮助的64名父母中，只有21人表示他们的尝试是成功的。如果孩子睡眠不好，与未报告孩子睡眠不好的父母相比，其父母更有可能存在睡眠问题。
睡眠问题在脑瘫儿童及其父母中很常见。父母并不总是寻求帮助，而那些寻求帮助的人可能找不到有效的解决办法。未来的研究应该探索如何为脑瘫儿童及其父母/照顾者有效地将睡眠问题列为优先事项。
