OBJECTIVE: The present study investigated the relationship between daytime symptomatology and nightmare frequency in school-aged children by eliciting daytime symptoms and nightmare frequency from children directly in addition to questionnaires completed by their parents. METHODS: A sample of 4,834 parents and 4,531 of their children (age range: 8-11 years) completed each a sleep questionnaire and the strengths and difficulties questionnaire (SDQ). RESULTS: The results of the study clearly indicate that there is an underestimation of nightmare frequency in the parents' ratings compared to the children's data (effect size: d = 0.30) and the closeness between influencing factors and nightmare frequency is considerably higher for the data based on the children's responses; the proportion of explained variance was twice as high. CONCLUSIONS: Therefore, it seems important for research and clinical practice to not to rely on parents' information but to ask the children about the occurrence of nightmares.
OBJECTIVE: The present study investigated the relationship between daytime symptomatology and nightmare frequency in school-aged children by eliciting daytime symptoms and nightmare frequency from children directly in addition to questionnaires completed by their parents. METHODS: A sample of 4,834 parents and 4,531 of their children (age range: 8-11 years) completed each a sleep questionnaire and the strengths and difficulties questionnaire (SDQ). RESULTS: The results of the study clearly indicate that there is an underestimation of nightmare frequency in the parents' ratings compared to the children's data (effect size: d = 0.30) and the closeness between influencing factors and nightmare frequency is considerably higher for the data based on the children's responses; the proportion of explained variance was twice as high. CONCLUSIONS: Therefore, it seems important for research and clinical practice to not to rely on parents' information but to ask the children about the occurrence of nightmares.
Authors: Michael Schredl; Leonie Fricke-Oerkermann; Alexander Mitschke; Alfred Wiater; Gerd Lehmkuhl Journal: Child Psychiatry Hum Dev Date: 2009-03-12
Authors: Suresh Kotagal; Cynthia D Nichols; Madeleine M Grigg-Damberger; Carole L Marcus; Manisha B Witmans; Valerie G Kirk; Lynn A D'Andrea; Timothy F Hoban Journal: Sleep Date: 2012-11-01 Impact factor: 5.849