Sleep architecture and behavioral abnormalities in children and adolescents.

Objective: To investigate the association between sleep disordered breathing (SDB) and parent report of attention and behavioral problems in children, as well as the association between sleep stage duration and measures of child functioning in a clinically referred sample.
Methods: A chart review was conducted of 95 children with clinical history of SDB who completed an overnight polysomnography study in a pediatric sleep laboratory. Child functioning was assessed at the time of the sleep study by parent report on the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). The apnea hypopnea index was used as a measure of SDB severity.
Results: The apnea hypopnea index was associated with externalizing behavior, but not attention problems on the CBCL. In children 2-3 years old, stage 4 sleep duration was associated with externalizing behavior. In children 4-16 years old, REM sleep duration was associated with externalizing behavior.
Conclusions: Children with increased SDB severity may be at greater risk for behavioral problems. Differences between the association of sleep stages and externalizing behavior in toddlers compared with older children suggests possible developmental differences in the association between sleep and behavior.