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. 2024 Jan 17:15:1290310.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1290310. eCollection 2024.

Relationship between bedtime, nighttime sleep duration, and anxiety symptoms in preschoolers in China

Shuang-Yan Qiu  1 , Xiao-Na Yin  1 , Yanni Yang  2 , Ting Li  1 , Dali Lu  1 , Jie-Min Li  1 , Wei-Kang Yang  1 , Guo-Ming Wen  1 , Jing-Yu Zhang  1 , Yan Zhang  1 , Hai-Yan Lei  1 , Xin Wang  3 , Jian-Bo Wu  1
Affiliations

Relationship between bedtime, nighttime sleep duration, and anxiety symptoms in preschoolers in China

Shuang-Yan Qiu et al. Front Psychol. .

Abstract

Background: Sleep problems in preschoolers are becoming increasingly prominent, and the association between sleep status and anxiety symptoms has attracted growing attention. However, studies investigating the relationship between bedtime and nighttime sleep duration in preschoolers and their anxiety symptoms remain scant. We used the large sample data from the Longhua Cohort Study of Children in Shenzhen, China (LCCS) to analyze the association between bedtime and sleep in preschoolers and their anxiety symptoms.

Methods: A cross-sectional study of 69,138 preschoolers in Longhua District, Shenzhen, China was conducted in 2022. Data on sociodemographic characteristics of families, bedtime, nighttime sleep duration of preschoolers, and their anxiety symptoms (measured by the Spence Preschool Children Anxiety Scale) were collected through a structured questionnaire completed by the parents. Using binary logistic regression models, the relationship between bedtime, nighttime sleep duration, and childhood anxiety symptoms was examined.

Results: The bedtimes of preschoolers were concentrated between 21:01-22:00 (52.41%). Among the preschoolers, 38.70% had bedtimes later than 22:00, and 75.49% had insufficient nighttime sleep duration. The positive screening rate for anxiety symptoms among preschoolers was 3.50%. After adjusting for confounding factors using binary logistic regression models, compared with preschoolers with bedtime ≤21:00, The OR (95%CI) values of anxiety in preschoolers with bedtime ≥23:01, 22:01-23:00 and 21:01-22:00 were 2.86 (2.21-3.69), 1.51 (1.27-1.79) and 1.48 (1.26-1.76), respectively. Compared with those with sufficient nighttime sleep duration, the OR (95%CI) of children with nighttime sleep duration less than 9 h was 1.36 (1.23-1.51).

Conclusion: An association exists between bedtime and nighttime sleep duration in preschoolers and their anxiety symptoms. Preschoolers with 21:00 for bedtime and a nighttime sleep duration of 10 h may have lower anxiety symptoms. These findings support the importance of adequate sleep for preventing anxiety symptoms in children.

Keywords: anxiety symptoms; bedtime; boundary; nighttime sleep duration; preschoolers.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

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Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This work was supported by the Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Committee (JCYJ20210324122609025); Longhua District Medical and Health Institutions Regional Scientific Research Project (2022086); and Longhua District Medical and Health Institutions Regional Scientific Research Project (2022127) and Longhua District Medical and Health Institutions Regional Scientific Research Project (2021043).

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