Date of Award
10-2024
Document Type
Doctoral Research Project
Degree Name
Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Vida L. Tyc, Ph.D.
Second Advisor
Kimberly N. Sloman, Ph.D., BCBA-D
Third Advisor
Patrick J. Aragon, Psy.D.
Fourth Advisor
Lisa A. Steelman, Ph.D.
Abstract
Sleep problems are a common concern reported by parents of children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD). The prevalence of sleep disorders in those with NDD have been reported as high as 86% compared to 25% of typically developing children (Horwood et al., 2019, Robin-Shelton, 2016). These sleep problems can have detrimental effects on cognition, development, behavior, emotion regulation, and physical health. Existing research demonstrates a significant relationship between a child’s sleep disturbances and their parents’ sleep quality and level of parenting stress. This study aimed to identify the gaps in parental sleep knowledge and examined how parent sleep quality and parental stress are associated with sleep problems in their child. Out of the 38 parent respondents, only 26% of parents reported that their child’s pediatrician screened for sleep problems, 13% received sleep education/counseling from their child’s provider, and 11% received a referral to a sleep specialist from their child’s provider. Results also indicated that parents of children with greater sleep disturbances experienced a poorer sleep quality and higher levels of parental stress. Additionally, the amount of sleep a child gets did not significantly influence parental stress levels nor their sleep quality. Findings suggest that simply educating parents about healthy sleep habits/behaviors for their child may not be sufficient to improve their child’s sleep problems as receiving information from a pediatric provider did not significantly enhance parents’ knowledge about their child’s sleep behaviors. Both providers and parents need to be better informed about the importance of healthy sleep habits in children with neurodevelopmental disorders.
Recommended Citation
Chavez, Rachel Nicole, "Do Parents Know Best: The Impact of Parental Sleep Knowledge and Related Factors on Sleep in Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders" (2024). Theses and Dissertations. 1532.
https://repository.fit.edu/etd/1532
Included in
Child Psychology Commons, Clinical Psychology Commons, Developmental Psychology Commons, Health Psychology Commons
