STRESS, AROUSAL, PSYCHOPATHOLOGY AND TEMPERAMENT - A MULTIDIMENSIONAL APPROACH TO SLEEP DISTURBANCE IN CHILDREN

Electrodermal, visuoperceptual, and neuroendocrine measures of arousal were obtained from 79 school children whose sleep behavior was assessed by a parental rating scale, which had an internal consistency of 0.76 and provided a single measure of sleep disturbance. Temperament was measured by the Revised Dimensions of Temperament Survey and psychopathology by two scales, the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, and the Child Behavior Profile. Stress was manipulated by a modified version of the Stroop test. Support was found for the hypothesized positive relationship between arousal level and sleep behavior. Cortisol levels following stress and skin conductance measures obtained during an auditory orienting response task were significant predictors of sleep scores. Some sex differences in the patterns of association between several arousal measures and sleep scores were reported. The Internalizer scale of the CBP was a strong predictor of the sleep score, but, unexpectedly, the Eysenck Neuroticism scale was not. In girls, the Psychoticism scale was associated with the sleep score. Another finding, not previously reported, was the substantial inverse relationship between regularity of habits and sleep disturbance. The scores on the sleep scale were not related to age, I.Q. or number of siblings. © 1990.