Sleep Behavior of Children Born Preterm and Its Relationship with Parental Sleep Quality

Objective: We aimed to evaluate the sleep characteristics of children born preterm and the relationship between these characteristics and parental sleep quality. Material and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the parents of children born preterm were administered the Child Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Results: The study included 89 children born preterm with a current mean age of 38.7±55 months. According to the CSHQ, 95.5% of children had a sleep disorder. According to the PSQI, 48.9% of the mothers, 35.3% of the fathers had poor sleep quality. Maternal and paternal total PSQI scores were significantly correlated (r=0.373, p=0.030). In regression analysis of factors that may affect total CSHQ score, sleep disorder was found to be associated with low maternal education, hemiplegia, no smoking in the home (p=0.001, p<0.001and p<0.001 respectively). When factors that may affect total PSQI score were examined by regression analysis, the odds of poor sleep quality were 5.5 times higher in mothers with a high education level, 4 times higher in mothers with a history of multiple pregnancy (p=0.006 and p=0.027). Conclusion: Our study revealed a high rate of sleep disorder in children with a history of preterm birth and high rates of poor sleep quality among their parents.