Unrecognized Sleep Difficulties and Caregiver Awareness at School Entry: A Population-Based Study of First-Grade Children.

Authors

Rosário Correia, Paulo Infante, Elena Felipe Castaño

Published in

The Journal of school health. Volume 96. Issue 8. Pages e70213.

Abstract

Sleep difficulties are common in childhood and affect behavior, emotional regulation, and school functioning, yet are often unrecognized by caregivers.
This population-based, repeated cross-sectional study included 1168 first-grade children (6-7 years) in Évora, Portugal. Sleep was assessed using the Portuguese Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ-PT) and a structured family questionnaire. Associations with sociodemographic and family factors were examined using multivariable logistic regression; short sleep duration was analyzed using penalized logistic regression.
Across cohorts, 46%-49% of children met the criterion for clinically significant sleep disturbance (SDI ≥ 48). Bedtime resistance, daytime sleepiness, and sleep-related anxiety were the most prevalent difficulties. Fewer than 10% of caregivers reported sleep problems, even among affected children. Clinically significant sleep disturbance was associated with caregiver education and later dinner timing, while longer commuting distance was associated with short sleep duration.
Findings support brief sleep screening and family-oriented sleep health guidance at school entry.
Many children begin primary school with unrecognized sleep difficulties, highlighting the value of integrating sleep health into early school health frameworks.

PMID:
42547286
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 04 Aug 2026.

Read full publication at:
Please sign in to see all details.

Stats

1-terrible, 9-excellent. How would you rate this publication? Sign in in to submit your rating.

Post a comment

You need to be signed in to post comments. You can sign in here.

Comments

There are no comments yet.