IDENTIFICATION OF SLEEP PROBLEMS IN CHILDREN AGED 0-3 YEARS

INTRODUCTION: Sleep is a protective function of the human organism. It is known that sleep has an important role especially in the growth and development of children for the repair and protection of tissues. Studies reveal that approximately one quarter of children has sleep problems. This study was conducted to identify sleep problems in children in the 0-3 year age group.
METHODS: The descriptive study was carried out between February–1 and June–30,2015 in Family Health Centers, where families from various socioeconomic levels admitted. The study population consisted mothers having babies at 0-36 months of age and living in regions of the respective FHCs in the study period. The study was carried out with 225 mothers who agreed to participate in the research without any sample group selection. Data were collected by "Information Form" and "Infant Sleep Problems Diagnosis Questionnaire" through face-to-face interview method. The data were assessed using number and percentage distributions, means and standard deviation in a computer environment.
RESULTS: The average age of mothers was 27.99±5.47, and the average age of children was 2.82±1.39 years. It was determined that 39.6%of the mothers was literate and primary school graduate, and 42.2% has one child. The sleeping hours of children aged 0-3 years at night were found as at 22: 00 for 38.7%, at 21: 00 for 27.1% at 23: 00 for 16.4%, at 20: 00 for 9.3% and at 24: 00 for 8.4% respectively. Of the children, 24.9%was found to wake up two times at night, and 24.4% was found to wake up three times; and the mean total sleep time was found as 10.83±3.04 hours.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Study showed that sleep problems are very common in 0-3 year old children. Nurses are recommended to try to identify the sleep problems and find out the factors affecting these problems in children; and to provide training and consulting services to mothers regarding the issue is recommended as well.