Behavioural treatm/ent for sleep problems in children with severe intellectual disabilities and daytime challenging behaviour: Effect on mothers and fathers

Objectives. The study aimed to assess the mental state of mothers and fathe rs following successful behavioural intervention for sleep problems in such children. Design. A randomized controlled trial of behavioural interventions for slee p problems. Methods. Parents of 15 children with severe intellectual disabilities, seve re sleep problems, and challenging daytime behaviour received treatment for the child's sleep problem and were compared with 15 controls who received no treatment, Parental stress, sleepiness, locus of control, perceived cont rol, and satisfaction with aspects of sleep were assessed. Results. Successful treatment benefited the mothers, reducing stress, incre asing perceived control and making them more satisfied with their sleep, th eir child's sleep, and their ability to cope with their child's sleep. Posi tive effects in the fathers were limited to increased satisfaction with the ir own sleep and their child's sleep; fathers tended to feel less control f ollowing treatment. Maternal sleepiness and perceived control, and aspects of parental satisfaction showed improvements in both the treatment and cont rol groups. Conclusion. The effects of childhood sleep problems, and their resolution u sing behavioural interventions, may be different in mothers and fathers. Th is highlights the need to assess all family members in order to gain a grea ter understanding of how best to help families as a whole. The improvements in both control and treatment groups indicate that there may be non-specif ic effects of taking part in the study that played a therapeutic role.