Characteristics of children with disabilities and their primary caregivers
| Total (n=125) | Boys (n=69) | Girls (n=56) | p Value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Child characteristics | ||||
| Age, mean (SD), years | 9.2 (2.2) | 8.8 (2.1) | 9.8 (2.3) | 0.015 |
| Type of disability diagnosis, % | ||||
| Mental and behavioural disorders | 48.0 | 59.4 | 33.9 | 0.004 |
| Diseases of musculoskeletal system | 16.8 | 10.1 | 25.0 | |
| Diseases of the nervous system | 27.2 | 27.5 | 26.8 | |
| Congenital/chromosomal abnormalities | 8.0 | 2.9 | 14.3 | |
| Daytime napping | 16.8 | 14.5 | 19.6 | 0.444 |
| Medication use | 44.0 | 42.0 | 46.4 | 0.622 |
| Sleep parameters | ||||
| Sleep onset, median (IQR) | 22:39 (22:06, 23:08) | 22:44 (22:24, 23:08) | 22:33 (21:54, 23:09) | 0.183 |
| Sleep latency, median (IQR), minutes | 27.3 (15.0, 38.9) | 27.1 (14.4, 41.7) | 27.4 (15.4, 38.2) | 0.511 |
| WASO, median (IQR), minutes | 88.1 (65.6, 111.1) | 92.4 (64.4, 112.4) | 81.9 (66.2, 107.0) | 0.411 |
| Number of awakenings, mean (SD)* | 22.1 (6.7) | 22.5 (6.5) | 21.6 (6.9) | 0.441 |
| Awakening length, median (IQR), minutes | 5.1 (4.2, 7.1) | 5.1 (4.2, 7.0) | 5.1 (4.2, 7.1) | 0.923 |
| Sleep duration, median (IQR), hours | 8.0 (7.5, 8.2) | 8.0 (7.3, 8.2) | 8.0 (7.5, 8.3) | 0.459 |
| Sleep efficiency, mean (SD), %* | 80.0 (7.2) | 79.0 (8.1) | 81.2 (5.8) | 0.072 |
| Caregiver characteristics | ||||
| Age, mean (SD), years | 38.3 (7.8) | 38.5 (7.8) | 38.0 (7.8) | 0.690 |
| Caregiver-child relationship, % | ||||
| Mother | 88.0 | 88.4 | 87.5 | 0.877 |
| Other | 12.0 | 11.6 | 12.5 | |
| Employed/self-employed | 60.0 | 62.3 | 57.1 | 0.557 |
| Education level, % | ||||
| <High school | 21.6 | 24.6 | 17.9 | 0.088 |
| High school | 37.6 | 29.0 | 48.2 | |
| >High school | 40.8 | 46.4 | 33.9 | |
*Of these sleep parameters, only number of awakenings and sleep efficiency were normally distributed (Kolmogorov-Smirnov test: p>0.05). While Student's t test was used for number of awakenings and sleep efficiency, Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used for the other sleep parameters.
WASO, wake after sleep onset.