Sleep habits and sleep problems associated with depressive symptoms in school-age children

Problem Sleep disturbance is a characteristic symptom of depression, but it is also a problem in itself related to the severity of this illness. Hence, the objective of this study was to examine sleep habits and sleep problems associated with increased depressive symptoms in children. Methods The sample included 524 children equally distributed by gender (51.1% female), with an average age of 10.29 (SD = 1.34) years. The administered instruments were the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI; Cronbach alpha = 0.82) and a Sleep Habits and Sleep Problems Questionnaire (alpha = 0.91). Findings The mean score for the CDI was 12.51 (SD = 6.74) and 20% presented symptoms of depression. The linear regression model showed that sleep habits associated with the increase in symptoms of depression were: little sleep, hours of sleep during the week, and wake-up time on weekdays. In the same model, the associated sleep problems were: nocturnal awakenings, nightmares, and difficulty waking up. The presence of these sleep habits and sleep problems increased the score from 2.07 to 13.50 points on the CDI scale. Conclusions Depressive symptoms increase with the presence of sleep habits related to sleep deprivation and sleep problems related to parasomnias in school-age children.