Behavioural Treatment for Sleep Problems in Children with Severe Intellectual Disabilities and Daytime Challenging Behaviour: Effect on Mothers and Fathers

Objectives: The study aimed to assess the mental state of mothers and fathers following successful behavioural intervention for sleep problems in such children.

Design: A randomized controlled trial of behavioural interventions for sleep problems.

Methods: Parents of 15 children with severe intellectual disabilities, severe sleep problems, and challenging daytime behaviour received treatment for the child's sleep problem and were compared with 15 controls who received no treatment. Parental stress, sleepiness, locus of control, perceived control, and satisfaction with aspects of sleep were assessed.

Results: Successful treatment benefited the mothers, reducing stress, increasing perceived control and making them more satisfied with their sleep, their child's sleep, and their ability to cope with their child's sleep. Positive effects in the fathers were limited to increased satisfaction with their own sleep and their child's sleep; fathers tended to feel less control following treatment. Maternal sleepiness and perceived control, and aspects of parental satisfaction showed improvements in both the treatment and control groups.

Conclusion: The effects of childhood sleep problems, and their resolution using behavioural interventions, may be different in mothers and fathers. This highlights the need to assess all family members in order to gain a greater understanding of how best to help families as a whole. The improvements in both control and treatment groups indicate that there may be non-specific effects of taking part in the study that played a therapeutic role.