Children's Sleep during COVID-19: How Sleep Influences Surviving and Thriving in Families

Authors

Nicole E. Mackenzie, Dalhousie University
Elizabeth Keys, Dalhousie University
Wendy A. Hall, The University of British Columbia
Reut Gruber, Institut Universitaire en Santé Mentale Douglas
Isabel M. Smith, Dalhousie University
Evelyn Constantin, Centre Universitaire de Santé McGill, Hôpital de Montreal Pour Enfants
Roger Godbout, University of Montreal
Robyn Stremler, University of Toronto
Graham J. Reid, Western UniversityFollow
Ana Hanlon-Dearman, University of Manitoba
Cary A. Brown, University of Alberta
Sarah Shea, Dalhousie University
Shelly K. Weiss, Hospital for Sick Children University of Toronto
Osman Ipsiroglu, University of British Columbia, Faculty of Medicine
Manisha Witmans, University of Alberta, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry
Christine T. Chambers, Dalhousie University
Pantelis Andreou, Dalhousie University, Faculty of Medicine
Esmot Begum, Dalhousie University
Penny Corkum, Dalhousie University

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

10-1-2021

Journal

Journal of Pediatric Psychology

Volume

46

Issue

9

First Page

1051

Last Page

1062

URL with Digital Object Identifier

10.1093/jpepsy/jsab075

Abstract

Objective The COVID-19 pandemic has the potential to disrupt the lives of families and may have implications for children with existing sleep problems. As such, we aimed to: (1) characterize sleep changes during the COVID-19 pandemic in children who had previously been identified as having sleep problems, (2) identify factors contributing to sleep changes due to COVID-19 safety measures, and (3) understand parents and children s needs to support sleep during the pandemic. Methods Eighty-five Canadian parents with children aged 4 14 years participated in this explanatory sequential, mixed-methods study using an online survey of children s and parents sleep, with a subset of 16 parents, selected based on changes in their children s sleep, participating in semi-structured interviews. Families had previously participated in the Better Nights, Better Days (BNBD) randomized controlled trial. Results While some parents perceived their child s sleep quality improved during the COVID-19 pandemic (14.1%, n 12), many parents perceived their child s sleep had worsened (40.0%, n 34). Parents attributed children s worsened sleep to increased screen time, anxiety, and decreased exercise. Findings from semi-structured interviews highlighted the effect of disrupted routines on sleep and stress, and that stress reciprocally influenced children s and parents sleep. Conclusions The sleep of many Canadian children was affected by the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the disruption of routines influencing children s sleep. eHealth interventions, such as BNBD with modifications that address the COVID-19 context, could help families address these challenges.