D. Wolke et al., THE INCIDENCE OF SLEEPING PROBLEMS IN PRETERM AND FULL-TERM INFANTS DISCHARGED FROM NEONATAL SPECIAL CARE UNITS - AN EPIDEMIOLOGIC LONGITUDINAL-STUDY, Journal of child psychology and psychiatry and allied disciplines, 36(2), 1995, pp. 203-223
Anecdotal reports have suggested that sleeping problems are a frequent
complaint from parents of preterm infants. This prospective epidemiol
ogical study examined the incidence and stability of sleeping problems
of very preterm (< 32 weeks gestation at birth), preterm (32-36 weeks
gestation) and fullterm infants, all admitted to special care baby un
its (SCBU) after birth, in comparison to healthy term infants over the
first 5 years of life. Preterm infants were found to have fewer and s
horter night-wakings at 5 months. No differences in sleeping behaviour
compared with healthy term children were found at 20 and 56 months of
age. Similar significant, and moderate, stability of nightwaking from
one age to the next were found for exSCBU-graduates and healthy fullt
erm infants. Parental interventions such as staying with the child unt
il asleep and taking the infant into bed at night were related to nigh
twaking problems and increased parental distress. It is concluded that
prematurity, and thus neurological immaturity and special care experi
ence are less important than caretaking behaviour in the development o
f sleeping problems in both preterm and fullterm infants.