Predictors of diagnostically defined insomnia in child and adolescent community samples: a literature review.

Diagnostically defined insomnia is prevalent, persistent, and associated with a range of negative outcomes in childhood and adolescence. To inform prevention and treatment, we need to identify relevant predictors that can be addressed in such intervention efforts. Therefore, a systematic search for longitudinal studies involving child and adolescent samples (ages 4 to 19) examining predictors of diagnostically defined insomnia adjusted for previous insomnia was conducted. The search identified 6419 studies, resulting in six included papers involving five samples (n = 9949) conducted in five different countries (the US, New Zealand, Norway, China, and Japan). Few longitudinal studies investigated the predictors of diagnostically defined insomnia in children and adolescents, and insomnia is rarely defined according to diagnostic manuals. The results suggested that poor mental health (most notably depression) and female sex may be involved in the etiology of diagnostically defined insomnia. Stress might be the most modifiable factor identified. However, the diversity of the predictors studied in previous reports combined with the lack of replication prevent any firm conclusions from being drawn. This review serves as a summary of the best available evidence.