Sleep Disturbances in Adolescents: A Narrative Review - Abstract
This narrative review is based on a literature search on PsycINFO and PubMed that involved entering the terms adolescent sleep disturbances. Following exclusion criteria, 71 papers could be classified as adolescent sleep disturbance studies including research on the prevalence, the effects and the risk factors for sleep disturbances. Most of the studies have been conducted in other countries where the prevalence of adolescent sleep disturbances has widely ranged from 2% to 77%%. The effects of sleep disturbances have included academic problems, pain conditions, physical health, behavioral and emotional problems. The predictor or risk variables have included family problems, stress, sedentary behavior, excessive use of social media, attention deficits, headaches and emotional problems. Several cognitive behavioral therapy studies as well as some interventions with multiple components have shown reduced sleep disturbances. Like other literature on adolescent problems, this research is limited by primarily being derived from self-report and parent report and by the absence of longitudinal data that could help inform prevention/intervention research by further profiling those at risk for sleep disturbances.