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The following is a summary of “Evaluation of Sleep Habits and Their Relationship with Quality of Life in Children with Epilepsy,” published in the March 2024 issue of Pediatrics by Özdemir et al.

The primary objective of this study was to comprehensively explore the sleep habits and quality of life (QoL) among children diagnosed with epilepsy and to investigate potential correlations between these two factors.

In this cross-sectional investigation, a cohort of children aged 2 to 18 years under epilepsy surveillance underwent evaluation using the Child Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ) and the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL). Pearson or Spearman correlation analyses were conducted to scrutinize the association between variables, depending on their distribution. Linear regression analysis was employed to identify independent variables linked with the total scale score of PedsQL. Statistical significance was established at p < 0.05.

The study encompassed 112 children, with an average age of 10.5 ± 4.4 years, of which 51.8% were female. An overwhelming 96.4% exhibited poor sleep habits, with a mean CSHQ total sleep score of 49.3 ± 5.9. Regarding PedsQL, the mean total scores were 74 ± 15.6 per children’s self-assessment and 75.8 ± 14.8 based on parental evaluation. Remarkably, there was substantial agreement between children’s and parents’ assessments of PedsQL, encompassing total, physical health, and psychosocial health scores (p < 0.001). Correlation analyses unveiled negative associations between total sleep score and self-assessed PedsQL total scale, physical health, and psychosocial health scores (p < 0.05), as well as parent-assessed PedsQL total scale and psychosocial health scores (p < 0.05). Linear regression analyses underscored that high CSHQ total sleep score and exclusively daytime seizures were significantly associated with diminished QoL (p < 0.001).

This study underscores the prevalence of poor sleep habits and suboptimal QoL among children grappling with epilepsy. Moreover, it illuminates the adverse impact of poor sleep habits on QoL, emphasizing the necessity for comprehensive management strategies targeting sleep disturbances and epilepsy-related issues to enhance overall well-being in this population.

Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0887899424000778