Differences in parental attitudes towards sleep and associations with sleep-wake patterns in Caucasian and Southeast Asian school-aged children in Australia

Sarah Biggs, Violeta Pizzorno, Cameron van den Heuvel, J Kennedy, A Martin, Kurt Lushington

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20 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Caucasian (N = 47) and Southeast (SE) Asian (N = 36) families completed a questionnaire on their attitudes toward sleep, as well as a 7-day sleep diary for their children aged 5 to 11 years. Cultural differences were found in the perceived importance of sleep, particularly compared to homework and belief of how much sleep a child needs. Differences were also found in sleep-wake behaviors and amount of time spent on homework, with SE Asian children reporting a shift in sleep timing and increased homework load compared to Caucasian counterparts. Parental attitudes toward sleep, perception of sleep need, and homework load were not associated with the regulation of actual sleep behaviors in children, regardless of cultural heritage.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)207 - 218
Number of pages12
JournalBehavioral Sleep Medicine
Volume8
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2010

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