A Study of Effective Factors on Sleep Disorders in 4-6 Years old Children in Tehran City, Iran

Sleep pattern may changes over the lifetime, but the quantity and quality of sleep always depend on individual factors, such as age, gender, and psychological and environmental factors. However, in a child, sleep is as important as growth and development. This study aimed to assess sleep disorders in 4-6 years old children referred to health centers of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences of Tehran. This study was carried out as a descriptive cross-sectional study on 400 children referred to health centers of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences of Tehran, 2013. Sampling was performed by multi-stage method and interview with mothers. To assess the sleep disorders, Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ) consisting of 5 subscales was used. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and Chi-square test. The significance level was considered p<0.05. The mean age of children was 64.27±9.3 months. Sleep habits disorders were associated with child’s age, body mass index (BMI), and marital adjustment; sleep behavior disorders were associated with child’s age, BMI, father’s drug abuse, and marital adjustment; Night-waking disorders were associated with BMI; and morning-waking disorders were associated with BMI and marital adjustment. The results of this study revealed that sleep disturbances threaten growth and development of children. Mental, familial, and cultural problems influence sleep quality. Therefore, assessment of sleep disorders in children should be considered in the differential diagnosis of their health.