Outcomes of Child Sleep Problems Over the School-Transition Period: Australian Population Longitudinal Study

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Adequate sleep optimizes children's learning and behavior. However, the natural history and impact of sleep problems during school transition is unknown. OBJECTIVES: To determine (1) the natural history of sleep problems over the 2-year period spanning school entry and (2) associations of children's health-related quality of life, language, behavior, learning, and cognition at ages 6.5 to 7.5 years with (a) timing and (b) severity of sleep problems. METHODS: Data were drawn from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. Children were aged 4 to 5 years at wave 1 and 6 to 7 years at wave 2. Parent-reported predictors included (1) timing (none, persistent, resolved, incident) o..