Sleep Patterns in Children of Alcoholics and the Relationship with Parental Reports

Parental ratings of poor sleep have been associated with early onset of substance use and substance-related problems during adolescence and young adulthood. Children of alcohol-dependent parents have an increased risk for depression as well as substance-related problems. We conducted the current study to describe sleep -wake patterns in children of alcoholics (COAs) compared to non-alcoholic families (NCOAs), to explore the relationships among sleep assessment methods by groups, and to report rates of agreement between methods by group. We assessed subjective (sleep diaries) and objective (actigraphy-measured) sleep in children with (N=68) and without (N=24) a parental history of alcohol use disorder between 7.2 and 12.9 (mean 10.2 +/- 1.2) years of age. Children were instructed to complete the sleep diaries with assistance from parents only if needed. Parents provided descriptions of their child's sleep in a Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire (PSQ). Results showed that COAs reported sleeping slightly less time at night and were more likely to nap during the day. Actigraphy captured fewer hours of sleep and more nighttime motor activity. Sleep diary variables were highly correlated with parent reports on the PSQ, except for bedtimes in some COAs, which were later than parent's estimations. Conclusion: School- aged COAs showed small but significant differences in their sleep characteristics compared to NCOAs. COA self-reported sleep diaries agreed with parental reports, but differed significantly from actigraphy measurements of sleep continuity. Insufficient sleep in COAs may be an additional risk factor as they approach adolescence.