Dados do Trabalho

Título

Sleep habits assessment of children in child maltreatment situations in the city of Canoas, RS

Introdução

Sleep disorders (SD), present in children victims of violence, are associated with alterations in emotional, learning and social functions and may be a risk factor for the neurodevelopment of mental disorders.

Objetivo

Recognize sleep alterations observed in children who experienced child maltreatment (CM) situations identified through a multidisciplinary assessment (medical, social assistance and psychology). The objective is to establish the main SD and to correlate the variables with each other – type of violence, age, gender and SD.

Métodos

The study analyzed the sleep pattern of 123 children (age range: from 2 to 10 years old), during the period of 11 months, who received care at an assistance center specialized in child maltreatment in the city of Canoas, RS. The analysis was based on the Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ) through the perception of parents and caregivers.

Resultados

Among the 123 children evaluated, 66,7% had SDs. The sample profile was predominantly female (59,3%) and aged between 4 and 7 years old (48,8%). Physical violence was found in 40,7% of the children, sexual (35,8%), psychological (24,4%), negligence (14,6%) and other types of violence - exposure to home violence - (4,5%). SD is significantly associated with sexual, psychological and other types of violence (p = 0,016). Regarding the CSHQ subscales, there was a significant difference between the age groups in the bed resistance factor score (RS) (p = 0,033). The RS characteristic typifies sexual (11,6 points), psychological and other types of violence (11,0 points each). Sleep anxiety (SA) typifies more psychological (7,9 points), sexual (7,5 points) and other types of violence (7,3 points). Night awakening (NA) typifies psychological (4,4 points), sexual and physical (4,3 points each) violence. According to the data by type of violence, significant differences in SA (p = 0,039), NA (p = 0,026) and RS (p = 0,004) were found in the analysis.

Conclusões

The outcomes highlight the association between SD and CM. The impact of the results contribute to the elaboration of appropriate therapeutic interventions in order to prevent violence and rehabilitate children regarding SD, aiming to avoid the development of future mental and physical disorders.

Palavras-chave

Child abuse; Sleep Disorders; Violence against children, Child Maltreatment