EVALUATING NIGHT WAKINGS IN SLEEP-DISTURBED INFANTS - A METHODOLOGICAL STUDY OF PARENTAL REPORTS AND ACTIGRAPHY

The aim of this study was to investigate the use of objective and subj ective sleep measures in diagnostic assessment of night-waking problem s during infancy. Infant sleep-wake measures obtained from parental da ily logs were compared with objective sleep measures derived from acti vity monitoring during a week-long period in 66 referred infants. Repo rted sleep measures were significantly correlated with objective sleep measures and showed a significant level of day-to-day stability. Pare nts were accurate reporters of sleep-schedule measures (e.g. sleep ons et, r = 0.88; sleep duration, r = 0.74; p < 0.0001). However, parents were less accurate in assessing sleep quality measures, significantly overestimating the time that their infants spent in actual sleep and u nderestimating the number of their night-wakings (r = 0.41 and r = 0.6 0, respectively; P < 0.001). It is suggested that subjective and objec tive measures should play a complementary role in the clinical assessm ent of night-waking problems in early childhood.