A FACTOR-ANALYSIS OF SLEEP PROBLEMS AND THEIR PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATIONS IN CHILDREN WITH DOWNS-SYNDROME

The aims of the study were (a) to identify statistically derived sleep disturbance factors in children with Down's syndrome and (b) to explo re the possibility that these factors have different psychological ass ociations when compared to each other. Principal components analysis w as performed on the results of a parental sleep questionnaire survey o n 91 children with Down's syndrome. Three significant sleep disturbanc e factors were obtained: (a) those where the problem was primarily one of getting the child to go to bed and/or settling to sleep (sleep ons et problems); (b) those where the problem was characterised by disturb ances during the night, i.e. nocturnal wakings and restlessness (sleep maintenance problems); and (c) those where the problem was primarily one of disordered breathing during sleep. Children showing any one of these types of sleep problems had significantly higher daytime behavio ur problem and maternal stress scores than children showing none. Chil dren showing disturbances through the night had higher daytime behavio ur scores than all the other groups on virtually all the daytime scale s. The findings of the study are discussed along with further research possibilities.