Summary: A new study by the Network Centre for Biomedical Research (CIBER) in Spain has identified a strong link between childhood sleep disorders and the development of ADHD symptoms in preadolescence. Published in the European Journal of Pediatrics, the study involved 1,244 children and assessed sleep disorders and ADHD symptoms using established rating scales. The findings highlight the importance of early detection and intervention for sleep disorders to potentially prevent or mitigate ADHD symptoms.
Key Takeaways:
- The study found a strong relationship between sleep disorders in children aged 8 or 9 and the development of ADHD symptoms by ages 10 or 11.
- Previous research shows a high prevalence of sleep disorders (20%) and ADHD (3-7.5%) in children, with sleep disorders being more common in children with ADHD.
- Early detection of sleep disorders using easy-to-apply questionnaires in pediatric consultations could help prevent or reduce future ADHD symptoms, emphasizing the need for incorporating such screening tools into primary care programs.
A new study shows a close relationship between childhood sleep disorders and the development of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in preadolescence.
The researchers say the study by CIBER – the Network Centre for Biomedical Research (Spain), published in the European Journal of Pediatrics, represents progress in understanding the causes of ADHD, a neurodevelopmental disorder affecting around 7.5% of children.
Methodology and Assessment
The research staff worked with 1,244 boys and girls from Gipuzkoa, Sabadell, and Valencia, more specifically, the cohorts participating in the INMA project. On the one hand, they assessed sleep disorders at the age of 8 or 9 using the Child Behavior Checklist for ages 6-18, and, on the other, they examined manifestations of ADHD using the Conners Parent Rating Scale.
Sleep is a complex physiological state, partly responsible for physical and mental performance and the development and healthy maintenance of learning processes, declarative and procedural memory, generalization of knowledge, and the processing of emotions. Disorders affecting it have immediate and far-reaching consequences.
Findings and Implications
The results of the CIBER researchers’ work are added to this evidence, making it possible to relate sleep problems in childhood to the development of ADHD symptoms when older. The conclusions of the study could be useful for implementing policies and actions that promote the right conditions for developing healthy sleep habits during childhood.
Several studies have previously shown that sleep disorders and ADHD are common during childhood, with a prevalence of 20% for sleep disorders and 3-7.5% for ADHD. Sleep disorders are more prevalent in children with ADHD, affecting between 25% and 73.3% of them.
Strong Association Established
In this context, the work of the CIBER researchers has established a strong relationship between sleep disorders at the ages of 8 and 9 and the development of ADHD symptoms at the ages of 10 and 11.
The association between sleep disorders and ADHD symptoms has been maintained after excluding from the initial analysis children who had shown previous clinical problems (for example, those born small for their gestational age, premature babies, and those who had symptoms compatible with an ADHD diagnosis either before and at the same time as the appearance of sleep disorders). This highlights the strength of the association between sleep disorders and ADHD.
Early Detection and Prevention
“These findings must be interpreted with caution. Although not all children with sleep disorders will develop symptoms of ADHD, detecting them at an early stage, with questionnaires that are easy to apply in pediatric consultations, could contribute to preventing or mitigating future symptoms of behavioral problems like ADHD. It would therefore be useful to incorporate this type of screening tool into primary care programs such as the Children’s Health Programme,” says lead author Llúcia González, a researcher in the area of Epidemiology and Public Health from the Faculty of Nursing and Podiatry at the University of Valencia and visiting lecturer at the Universitat Jaume I in Castelló, in a release.
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