Guest Author - Lisa Angelettie M.S.W. There was a recent study
authored by Dr. Xianchen Liu, MD, PhD, and colleagues of the
University of Pittsburgh, where it was found that there was a
connection between sleep disorders in children and depression.
The study was conducted on 553 children with a depressive
disorder. Out of this study group, 72.7 percent had sleep
disturbance, of which 53.5 percent had insomnia alone, nine
percent had hypersomnia alone and 10.1 percent had both
disturbances. A difference in the ages of the children seemed to
have no important effects, but it was found that girls who were
depressed were more likely to suffer from sleep disturbances
than boys. What made the study also interesting was the finding
that it is just not insomnia (too little sleep) that is
connected to depression, but also hypersomnia (too much sleep).
The significance of this study shows that children who are
depressed may suffer from one or both types of sleep
disturbances and should actively address this when workin