Aim: In view of the serious negative consequences that shyness and anxious behavior can entail on children's quality of life, namely higher risks for internalizing problems, relationship...Show moreAim: In view of the serious negative consequences that shyness and anxious behavior can entail on children's quality of life, namely higher risks for internalizing problems, relationship difficulties, peer rejection and victimization, school adjustment issues, and poor academic success, we explored possible predictors. It was investigated whether parental stress, sleep disturbances, and physical activity predict shy behavior in five-year-old children. Methods: The study was based on the collected data from “The Cool Little Kids” project in collaboration with the "Jij en Je Gezondheid" study from the “Gemeentelijke Gezondheitsdiensten”. The survey had a cross-sectional design with a sample size of 4855 (51.66% girls), with a mean age of 5.1 (SD: 0.5, range from 4 to 7). The data was collected in the regions Amsterdam and Groningen in the years 2021 and 2022 through parental report questionnaires about the well-being of the children. Results: The study outcome supports the positive correlation of parental stress, sleep disturbances, and physical inactivity with shyness. However, the effect sizes of the model and the individual predictors are small. Conclusion: The obtained results underline the impact of parental stress and child habits on shyness. For an improved quality of life for children in their early and forthcoming life stages, the current focus on social anxiety disorders deserves an even shift to factors favoring shyness. This paper might serve as a guideline regarding the factors to be addressed considering future research and intervention programs for shy and anxious children.Show less
Background. Sleep’s positive impact on children’s development, health and psychological well-being renders crucial the investigation of precipitating and perpetuating factors of sleep disturbances...Show moreBackground. Sleep’s positive impact on children’s development, health and psychological well-being renders crucial the investigation of precipitating and perpetuating factors of sleep disturbances to prevent or address them. Aim. This study examines whether sleep disturbances in 10-year-olds are associated with eating habits, physical activity and parental stress. Methods. A total of 349 participants took part in the current study (Mean age = 10.21 years, SD = 0.49, boys = 50.14%). A regression analysis was run using sleep disturbances as a dependent variable, eating habits, physical activity and parental stress as independent variables and sex, ethnicity and region as covariates. Results. Eating habits, physical activity and parental stress did not have any predictive value for sleep disturbances. Conclusion. We conclude that sleep disturbances in 10-year-old children are not associated with eating habits, physical activity and parental stress. These results contradicting previous findings might be partially explained by some limitations of our study, such as the low internal consistency of our questionnaires and the potentially biased view of parents filling in the questionnaires.Show less
Depression and insomnia are prevalent disorders which are often found to occur comorbidly. Compared to suffering from one disorder alone, a comorbidity is related to a higher symptom burden and...Show moreDepression and insomnia are prevalent disorders which are often found to occur comorbidly. Compared to suffering from one disorder alone, a comorbidity is related to a higher symptom burden and reduced treatment success. Still, only a number of studies focus on the psychological risk factors for the onset and maintenance of depression and insomnia. This study hypothesized that high levels of perfectionism and rumination can predict an increase in depressive symptoms and sleep disturbances. In a sample of 69 healthy university students, an online survey with a series of self-report questionnaires was administered. The study confirmed the already established finding of a comorbidity between depressive symptoms and sleep disturbances. Regarding the main hypotheses of this study, multiple regression analyses yielded that rumination significantly predicts depressive symptoms as well as sleep disturbances, while perfectionism was not a significant predictor of an increase in depressive symptoms and sleep disturbances. Existing literature suggests that this could be either explained by 1) the mediating effect of rumination between perfectionism and sleep disturbances or depressive symptoms and that 2) maladaptive, but not adaptive, perfectionism has detrimental effects on mood and sleep. Future research should investigate these hypotheses and additionally examining whether other factors, for instance worry or stress, might be relevant in predicting depressive symptoms and sleep disturbances. Further knowledge about the mechanisms behind the comorbidity between depression and insomnia is relevant in order to improve existing treatment approaches as well as establish prevention measures which target these risk factors.Show less
University students experience heightened sleep disturbances and anxiety symptoms, which may lead to a decrease of life satisfaction. Research suggests that there are apparent associations between...Show moreUniversity students experience heightened sleep disturbances and anxiety symptoms, which may lead to a decrease of life satisfaction. Research suggests that there are apparent associations between sleep disturbances, life satisfaction, and anxiety symptoms. Previous studies have assessed the effectiveness of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) on the reduction of sleep outcomes in university students, but the present study is the first one to incorporate various therapeutic approaches (CBT for insomnia, mindfulness, lifestyle guidance) into one short and cost-effective treatment protocol tailored to university students. This study assesses the effectiveness of such group sleep-mood intervention. It is hypothesised that the intervention, compared to a waiting-list group, will enhance life satisfaction and reduce anxiety symptoms in a sample of university students suffering from sleep disturbances. Participants (n = 35) were randomised into intervention group and waitlist control group, with pre- and post- testing on life satisfaction, anxiety symptoms, and insomnia. The intervention group consisted of four weekly therapy sessions. Results showed no significant time x group allocation interaction for quality of life and anxiety. Higher life satisfaction was associated with less sleep disturbances at post-intervention. Although not significant, the findings follow the correct trend and future research should replicate this study with a larger sample size. The current study points to the need to implement and utilise effective interventions for university students to maintain their psychological well-being and life satisfaction.Show less
With a prevalence of 25% - 40%, sleep disturbances are a common problem among youths. Research in adolescents and adults shows correlation between sleep problems and chronotype(individual...Show moreWith a prevalence of 25% - 40%, sleep disturbances are a common problem among youths. Research in adolescents and adults shows correlation between sleep problems and chronotype(individual differences in circadian phase preference, e.g. eveningness), with more eveningness relating to higher reports of sleep problems. However, less is known about this relationship in children. This study investigates the association between children’s chronotype(morning, intermediate, evening type) and sleep duration as well as sleep disturbances as reported by parents. Data has been collected in 9 to 12 year old children (n = 98) using the Children’s Chronotype Questionnaire (CCTQ), the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC) and a 7-nights sleep diary. The analyses show that evening types (n = 15, M = 47.47) have significant more sleep problems than intermediate (n= 27, M = 39.11), p = .003 or morning types (n = 27, M = 35.70), p < .01. To be more specific, evening types have more problems with initiating and maintaining sleep (p < .01) and more excessive daytime somnolence (p < .01). No significant difference has been found between chronotypes in sleep duration. The main conclusion is that evening types among children have a higher risk of sleep problems, although sleep duration is similar to that in other chronotypes. This knowledge confirms the important role of chronotype and implicates that more focus on the characteristics of chronotypes is necessary in the clinical field.Show less
