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Sleep Duration in Italian Children: Parental Control on Bedtime as Explaining Factor
Maria Jose Esposito, Ph.D., Augusto Gnisci, Ph.D., Marco Fabbri, Ph.D.,
and PierCarla Cicogna, Ph.D.
Objective: This study assessed the relationship among sleep habits and sleep-wake quality
of Italian school-aged children and specific environmental factors (co-sleeping, weekly
workload, parental control on bedtime). We also collected data about the awareness of
the importance of sleep in school-aged children, as well as how often children have the
opportunity to talk about sleep habits with their parents.
Method: The Life Rhythms and Sleep Habits questionnaire was administered to 776 school
aged children.
Results: Results indicated that, except Sleep Latency, all sleep indexes considered change
from school nights to weekends, when time devoted to sleep increases (p<0.0001);
younger children sleep more than older ones on school nights (p<0.05), older children have
a later bedtime on both school nights and weekends (p<0.01; p<0.05); children sharing a
bedroom sleep more and go to bed earlier than children who do not share a room (p<0.05;
p<0.05). The 53.7% of children assessed sleep as very important, but the 47.8% of them
reported to never, or seldom, talk about sleep habits with their parents. Log-linear analyses
were applied to assess the relations among weekly workload, parental control of bedtime,
bedtime and sleep-wake quality variables. Children with a more structured time schedule
(greater parental control at bedtime, earlier bedtime, higher weekly workload) reported a
better sleep quality (lower sleep onset latency, no nocturnal awakenings), although they
reported more diurnal sleepiness.
Conclusions: The short sleep duration of Italian school-aged children is largely explained
by parent-style, parents leave to much autonomy to their children in deciding when go to
bed. (Sleep and Hypnosis 2014;16(1-2):1-9)
| Keywords: Sleep education, pediatrics, sleep hygiene, bedtime; children, sleep duration |
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