On the varieties of childhood sleep disturbance

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Abstract
This study addressed the general issue of similarities and differences in childhood sleep disturbances. Hierarchical cluster analysis was applied to the sleep problem checklist data of 81 children seen in a clinical setting. In a series of analyses, four groups of children were identified — those with moderate, immature, severe, and few or no sleep problems. The moderate sleep problem group appears to involve children who are afraid to sleep. The immature problem group involves children who “magically”; attempt to protect themselves at bedtime and/or manipulate parents regarding bedtime issues. The severe sleep problem group includes children with severe distress and anxiety which “breaks through”; during sleep. These “statistical”; results are illustrated with clinical impressions from a variety of cases. Age and sex effects accounted for very little of the variance in sleep problems. Suggestions for future work on the cluster types are offered.

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