Sleep habits as an indicator of social competence and behaviour in pre-schoolers in the context of neurodevelopmental disorders

AIM: Sleep disorders can affect behaviours and social skills through various different mechanisms. The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not sleep habits can be used as a marker for social competence and behaviour in early childhood in the context of neurodevelopmental disorders.

METHODS: Three hundred seventeen children aged 4–6 years were enrolled. Our case group consisted of 166 children with neurodevelopmental disorder and our control group of 151 healthy children. Participants were administered Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5)-based psychiatric evaluation, a data form, the Social Competence and Behavior Evaluation scale (SCBE-30), the Denver Developmental Screening Test II (DDST-II), and the Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ). Data obtained from scale scores and psychiatric examination results were subjected to statistical analysis.

RESULTS: The mean CSHQ score in the case group was significantly higher than in the control group (p < 0.001). The case group social competence score was significantly lower and anxietywithdrawal and anger-aggression scores were significantly higher than in the control group (p < 0.001). Male subjects attained lower social competence scale scores. Social competence was higher in the group receiving pre-school education, while anger-aggression and anxietywithdrawal were lower. Correlation analysis revealed that social competence decreased in line with sleep habits scores, while anger-aggression and anxiety-withdrawal increased.

CONCLUSIONS: Social competence scores decreased in line with sleep habits scores, while anger-aggression and anxiety-withdrawal scores increased. It may be beneficial to approach sleep habits as a potential marker of social competence, aggressive, and anxious behaviours and neurodevelopmental disorders in pre-school children, and to intervene early.