SLEEP DISRUPTION IN YOUNG-CHILDREN - THE INFLUENCE OF TEMPERAMENT ON THE SLEEP PATTERNS OF PRESCHOOL-CHILDREN

Sleep problems are a common concern of parents with toddlers. Various reasons have been put forward as to the possible causes and maintenanc e of sleep disruption. These have included neurophysical differences i n the child, perinatal differences such as a long labour and depressio n and anxiety in the parents themselves resulting in adverse effects o n the child's sleep patterns. However, recent research has indicated t hat a child's temperamental style may be a possible causal factor as t o whether the child will present its parents with a sleep problem. Thi s study, therefore, sets out to investigate the importance of temperam ent as a predictor of whether children may or may not have sleep probl ems. Environmental factors are controlled as far as possible by select ing toddlers with and without sleep problems from very similar environ ments. Case studies are also introduced to further illuminate other po ssible associated factors such as parental handling. The results from this study found significant differences in the temperament profiles o f children with and without sleep problems. Children with reported sle ep problems were more likely to obtain a 'intermediate high to difficu lt' profile. Various findings from a group of toddlers with and withou t sleep problems are discussed in this paper together with implication s of the findings and recommendations for further research.