Prenatal and Perinatal Influences on Sleep Problems in Childhood

Introduction: Although literature has shown prenatal and perinatal risk factors are associated with sleep problems in infants and psychopathology in children and adolescents, their influences on childhood sleep problems need to be investigated. Objective: To examine the relationship between perinatal factors and sleep problems in a community based children. Methods: We recruited 1519 parents of children aged 5 to 9 from five kindergartens and six elementary schools in Taipei using multistage sampling. Each participant completed Child Sleep Habit Questionnaire, including pregnancy, delivery, and infant history and sleep schedules, habits and problems on children. The response rate was 91.6% (1391). Logistic regression was used to estimate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals ( CI) for OR. Results: Our results showed that maternal bleeding during pregnancy predicted childhood insomnia (OR: 1.6; CI: 1.1, 2. 4), sleep talking (OR: 2.0; CI: 1.3, 3.3), nightmare (OR: 1. 6 ; CI: 1.1, 2.5), sleep terrors (OR: 1.7; CI: 1.1, 2.8), and enuresis (OR: 2.0; CI: 1.4, 3.1). Artificial delivery was associated with staying up late (OR: 2.9; CI: 1.1, 7.4) and sleep talking (OR: 1.3; CI: 1.1, 1.7 ) in children. Prenatal exposure to drug and alcohol predicted midnight awakening and sleep talking (OR: 5.9; CI: 1.1, 34.2) respectively. Postnatal blood transfusion increased the risk for sleep terrors (OR: 13.1 ; CI: 1.1, 157 ). Increased risks for sleep talking, bruxism, and snoring were noted among first-born children. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that childhood sleep problems are predicted by some perinatal risk factors . Primary prevention on prenatal and perinatal care may help to offset childhood sleep problems to improve child and parental mental health and relationship.