Incidence and influencing factors of sleep disorders in infants:a Meta-analysis

WANG Ying; CHEN Sisi; XIAN Qingzhao; LI Xin; SUN Hongyan

doi:10.12102/j.issn.2095-8668.2025.04.004

Abstract：Objective:A systematic review on the prevalence and influencing factors of sleep disorders in healthy infants and toddlers aged 0-3 years,providing a theoretical basis for the prevention of sleep problems in young children.Methods:Relevant articles on the influencing factors of sleep disorders in infants and young children was retrieved from databases including the CBM,VIP,CNKI,WanFang Database,PubMed,EMbase,the Cochrane Library,and Web of Science.The search period spanned from the establishment of each database to January 2024.Meta-analysis was performed using Stata 14.0 software.Results:A total of 21 articles were included.The Meta-analysis results showed that the prevalence of sleep disorders among infants and young children aged 0-3 years was 39.1%(95%CI 32.4%-45.8%,P<0.001).Risk factors for infant sleep disorders included low maternal education level(OR=1.60,95%CI 1.26-2.03,P<0.001),frequent nighttime feedings(OR=3.13,95%CI 2.08-4.72,P<0.001),co-sleeping with parents(OR=1.65,95%CI 1.43-1.90,P<0.001),postpartum depression(OR=1.14,95%CI 1.07-1.21,P<0.01),poor parental sleep quality(OR=1.67,95%CI 1.26-2.23,P<0.001),postpartum anxiety(OR=1.08,95%CI 1.02-1.15,P=0.005),and daily electronic screen exposure time>1 hour(OR=2.03,95%CI 1.58-2.59,P<0.001).Conclusion:Current evidence indicates that the prevalence of sleep disorders in infants and young children is relatively high.Major risk factors include low maternal education level,frequent nighttime feedings,co-sleeping with parents,postpartum depression,postpartum anxiety,poor parental sleep quality,and daily electronic screen exposure time>1 hour.Targeted nursing interventions can be developed in the future to address these risk factors and improve the sleep quality of infants and young children.