Summary: Parental stress is higher among parents who themselves have sleep disorders and among parents whose children have sleep disorders.
Source: PLOS
New research published in PLOS ONE finds that parental stress is substantially higher when parents suffer from sleep disorders or when their children experience sleep problems. The study, led by Ray Merrill and Kayla Slavik of Brigham Young University and colleagues, examines connections between parental sleep disorders, child sleep disorders, and rates of parental stress.
Sleep problems and stress are closely linked: stress can worsen sleep, and poor sleep can increase stress. For parents, this relationship is further complicated by their children’s sleep patterns. Parental sleep, mood, fatigue and stress interact with children’s sleep in ways that may reinforce or amplify problems for the whole family.
The researchers analyzed medical claims for 14,009 employees, ages 18–64, who had dependent children and were insured by Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrator (DMBA) in 2020. Among those employees, 2.2% filed medical claims for stress treatment and 12.5% filed claims for a sleep disorder—conditions including insomnia, hypersomnia and sleep apnea. Among dependent children, 2.0% had one or more medical claims for a sleep disorder.
After adjusting for age, sex and marital status, the study found that employees with any sleep disorder had a 1.95 times higher rate of stress (95% CI 1.67–2.28) compared with employees without a sleep disorder. When broken down by disorder, employees with insomnia had a threefold increase in stress rates (rate ratio 3.00, 95% CI 2.33–4.85), while employees with sleep apnea had a 1.88-fold increase (95% CI 1.59–2.22). No increased risk of stress was observed for hypersomnia in this analysis.
The researchers also measured how child sleep disorders relate to parental stress and to parental sleep disorders. They report that an employee’s rate of stress is 1.90 times greater (95% CI 1.33–2.72) if their child has any sleep disorder, and rises to 2.89 times greater (95% CI 2.20–3.80) when the child’s condition is insomnia. In addition, the rate of parental insomnia and parental sleep apnea each increase by roughly 100% when a child has a sleep disorder, indicating that parents are more likely to experience these specific sleep problems when their children do.
Additional analyses indicated that mean age of dependent children was higher among those with diagnosed sleep disorders (mean 17.1 years) compared with those without (mean 14.4 years), a statistically significant difference. Child sex was not associated with the likelihood of having a sleep disorder. Some associations varied by parent age, sex and marital status: for example, links between parental insomnia and stress and between sleep apnea and stress were stronger among women, and the association between sleep apnea and stress was stronger among single parents.
Taken together, these findings suggest a bidirectional and family-wide pattern: parental sleep disorders increase the risk of parental stress, and child sleep disorders are associated with higher rates of parental stress and higher rates of parental insomnia and sleep apnea. Understanding these interconnections may help clinicians and families prioritize interventions that address both child and parent sleep problems to reduce parental stress and improve overall family well-being.
About this sleep and stress research news
Author: Press Office
Source: PLOS
Contact: Press Office – PLOS
Image: The image is in the public domain
Original Research: Open access. “Relating parental stress with sleep disorders in parents and children” by Ray Merrill et al., PLOS ONE
Abstract
Relating parental stress with sleep disorders in parents and children
Objective
This study assessed whether children’s sleep disorders are associated with higher rates of parental insomnia, hypersomnia and sleep apnea, and whether parent and child sleep disorders together are associated with increased parental stress. The analysis also examined whether age, sex and marital status modify these associations.
Methods
Analyses used medical claims from 14,009 employees with dependent children (total dependent children n = 44,157) insured by DMBA in 2020. Rate ratios were adjusted for employee age, sex and marital status to estimate associations between parental and child sleep disorders and parental stress.
Results
Employees with insomnia had a threefold greater rate of stress (rate ratio 3.00, 95% CI 2.33–4.85), and those with sleep apnea had a nearly twofold greater rate of stress (rate ratio 1.88, 95% CI 1.59–2.22). Hypersomnia was not associated with an increased stress rate. Children filing one or more medical claims for a sleep disorder represented 2.0% of dependents. The mean age of children with a sleep disorder was 17.1 years versus 14.4 years for those without (t test p < .0001). Child sex showed no association with sleep disorder risk. Parental insomnia rates were 111% greater and parental sleep apnea rates were 115% greater when a child had a sleep disorder. The association between child sleep disorders and parental sleep apnea decreased with parent age. Parental stress rates were 90% greater if a child had a sleep disorder, 189% greater if the parent had insomnia, and 81% greater if the parent had sleep apnea. Some associations were stronger for women and for single parents.
Conclusions
A clearer understanding of how parent and child sleep problems interact—and how age, sex and marital status influence these links—could improve treatment approaches and reduce the burden of sleep disorders and stress across families.