Sleep Disturbances and Co-sleeping in Italian Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
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| Title: | Sleep Disturbances and Co-sleeping in Italian Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder. |
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| Authors: | Scarpelli, Serena (AUTHOR), Menghini, Deny (AUTHOR), Alfonsi, Valentina (AUTHOR), Giumello, Francesca (AUTHOR), Annarumma, Ludovica (AUTHOR), Gorgoni, Maurizio (AUTHOR), Valeri, Giovanni (AUTHOR), Pazzaglia, Mariella (AUTHOR), De Gennaro, Luigi (AUTHOR), Vicari, Stefano (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Journal of Autism & Developmental Disorders. Nov2025, Vol. 55 Issue 11, p4137-4152. 16p. |
| Subjects: | Risk assessment, Cross-sectional method, Child psychopathology, Research funding, Autism, Parent-child relationships, Questionnaires, Logistic regression analysis, Descriptive statistics, Multivariate analysis, Child Behavior Checklist, Analysis of variance, Asperger's syndrome, Sleep disorders, Co-sleeping, Disease risk factors, Disease complications, Adolescence, Children |
| Geographic Terms: | Italy |
| Abstract: | The current study aimed (1) to provide an analysis of the frequency and prevalence of sleep disturbances in a large Italian sample of children and adolescents with ASD, detecting specific predictors of the presence/absence of sleep disorders, (2) to examine the phenomenon of co-sleeping within a subgroup of participants with ASD. A total of 242 children and adolescents with ASD (194 males, mean age 5.03 ± 3.15 years) were included. After the diagnostic procedure, caregivers were requested to complete the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC) to assess sleep disorders among participants. The presence of co-sleeping was investigated in a subgroup of 146 children and adolescents with ASD. An elevated or clinically relevant global score for sleep disorders (≥ 60) was found in 33% of participants. The most prevalent sleep disorder in our group was related to difficulties with sleep onset and sleep maintenance (~ 41% of cases). Sleep disturbances were predicted by higher intelligence quotient (IQ)/developmental quotient (DQ), increased internalizing problems, and elevated parental stress. The subgroup of participants engaged in co-sleeping (N = 87) were younger and had lower IQ/DQ scores, reduced adaptive functioning, and diminished psychological wellbeing than the non-co-sleeping group. Our findings are consistent with the current literature highlighting that insomnia is the most widespread sleep problem associated with ASD. The relationship between IQ/DQ and sleep alterations is a crucial topic that deserves additional research. Future studies should assess sleep by objective measures such as EEG topography to better understand the mechanisms underlying sleep alterations in this neurodevelopmental disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| Database: | Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
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| Abstract: | The current study aimed (1) to provide an analysis of the frequency and prevalence of sleep disturbances in a large Italian sample of children and adolescents with ASD, detecting specific predictors of the presence/absence of sleep disorders, (2) to examine the phenomenon of co-sleeping within a subgroup of participants with ASD. A total of 242 children and adolescents with ASD (194 males, mean age 5.03 ± 3.15 years) were included. After the diagnostic procedure, caregivers were requested to complete the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC) to assess sleep disorders among participants. The presence of co-sleeping was investigated in a subgroup of 146 children and adolescents with ASD. An elevated or clinically relevant global score for sleep disorders (≥ 60) was found in 33% of participants. The most prevalent sleep disorder in our group was related to difficulties with sleep onset and sleep maintenance (~ 41% of cases). Sleep disturbances were predicted by higher intelligence quotient (IQ)/developmental quotient (DQ), increased internalizing problems, and elevated parental stress. The subgroup of participants engaged in co-sleeping (N = 87) were younger and had lower IQ/DQ scores, reduced adaptive functioning, and diminished psychological wellbeing than the non-co-sleeping group. Our findings are consistent with the current literature highlighting that insomnia is the most widespread sleep problem associated with ASD. The relationship between IQ/DQ and sleep alterations is a crucial topic that deserves additional research. Future studies should assess sleep by objective measures such as EEG topography to better understand the mechanisms underlying sleep alterations in this neurodevelopmental disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| ISSN: | 01623257 |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s10803-024-06507-y |
