Swinburne University of Technology, Australia.
Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Australia.
Autism. 2023 Oct;27(7):1891-1905. doi: 10.1177/13623613221147397. Epub 2023 Jan 23.
Autistic children experience increased the rates of sleep problems. These sleep problems have been associated with mother's mental health symptoms. However, the direction of these relationships is not well understood. This study investigated the relationships between autistic children's sleep problems and mothers' mental health over a 12-year period using data collected as part of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. Data from 397 autistic children and their mothers were included in this study. Mothers completed a questionnaire about their own mental health and common childhood sleep problems at four time points from 4-5 years to 14-15 years. The results showed important relationships between mothers' mental health symptoms and child sleep problems at two time points. Specifically, (1) mothers' mental health symptoms when the child was aged 4 to 5 years predicted child sleep problems at age 6 to 7 years; and (2) child sleep problems at age 12-13 years predicted mothers' mental health symptoms when the child was aged 14 to 15 years. Interestingly, these significant relationships also coincide with key developmental transition time points, when the child is transitioning in and out of primary school. These findings highlight the need for increased support for both the child and mother at these times to optimise outcomes for both.
自闭症儿童的睡眠问题发生率较高。这些睡眠问题与母亲的心理健康症状有关。然而，这些关系的方向尚不清楚。本研究使用澳大利亚儿童纵向研究收集的数据，在 12 年的时间里调查了自闭症儿童的睡眠问题与母亲心理健康之间的关系。本研究纳入了 397 名自闭症儿童及其母亲的数据。母亲在孩子 4 到 5 岁、6 到 7 岁、12 到 13 岁和 14 到 15 岁四个时间点完成了一份关于自身心理健康和常见儿童睡眠问题的问卷。结果显示，母亲的心理健康症状与孩子在两个时间点的睡眠问题之间存在重要关系。具体而言：(1)孩子 4 到 5 岁时母亲的心理健康症状预测了孩子 6 到 7 岁时的睡眠问题；(2)孩子 12 到 13 岁时的睡眠问题预测了孩子 14 到 15 岁时母亲的心理健康症状。有趣的是，这些显著的关系也与关键的发展过渡时间点相吻合，此时孩子正在从小学过渡到中学。这些发现强调了在这些时候需要增加对孩子和母亲的支持，以优化两者的结果。
