The Connection Between Sleep Problems and Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties in Autistic Children: A Network Analysis.
Lucy Sommers, Nicole Papadopoulos, Matthew Fuller-Tyszkiewicz and 4 others
PMID 38526802WHAT IT FOUND
Depression, anxiety and behavioural difficulties were the most connected symptoms in autistic children with sleep problems.
The data were collected at one time point, so this does not show that treating these symptoms improves sleep.
Key findings
01Depression, anxiety and behavioural difficulties were the most strongly connected symptoms in the analysed network.
02Depression, anxiety and restricted repetitive behaviours had the highest bridge influence, linking symptoms across clusters.
03Sleep, autism and emotional/behavioural symptoms grouped into three mixed clusters rather than three separate domains.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The data were collected at one time point, so the analysis cannot show which symptom leads to or maintains another. The study used parent-reported questionnaires, so parents may have over- or under-reported their child's difficulties. The network model estimated many connections, and the sample may be too small for firm conclusions. The depression measure included sleep-related items, which may make sleep and depression look more connected than they are. The children were recruited from English-speaking families and without intellectual disability, so results may not apply to other autistic children. The analysis did not separate different age groups, even though sleep problems may change with age.
Declared interests
Funding was provided by Deakin University. The supplied text does not report a separate conflicts of interest declaration.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that treating depression or anxiety will improve sleep. The study used parent-reported symptoms at one time point, so it can describe connections but not show that one symptom causes or maintains another.