ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effects of sleep deprivation on intelligence development in primary school students.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Between June 2009 and April 2010, 316 grade 5 students aged 10-11 years were selected from four primary schools in four administrative districts of Changsha, China by stratified random sampling. The intelligence characteristics of children with varying degrees of sleep deprivation were investigated using the Chinese Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A total of 286 valid questionnaires were received, with a response rate of 90.5%. The survey was comprised of a sleep deprivation group (sleep time <8 hours per night; n=180) and a control group (sleep time ≥8 hours per night; n=106). The sleep deprivation group had significantly lower subtest scores, verbal intelligence quotient (IQ) (VIQ), performance IQ (PIQ) and full scale IQ (P<0.05) and significantly lower verbal comprehension factor score and memory/attention factor score compared with the control group (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the moderate sleep deprivation subgroup had significantly decreased VIQ and full scale IQ as well as verbal comprehension factor score and memory/attention factor score (P<0.05), and the severe sleep deprivation subgroup showed decreases in all scores (P<0.05). The sleep deprivation group and moderate and severe sleep deprivation subgroups had significantly higher proportions of children with VIQ-PIQ imbalance than the control group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Sleep deprivation adversely affects intelligence development, especially VIQ, in primary school students, and the adverse effects of sleep deprivation are mainly seen in students with moderate and severe sleep deprivation.</p>
Subject(s)
Child , Female , Humans , Male , Intelligence , Sleep Deprivation , PsychologyABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the adverse effects of sleep problems and sleep insufficiency on attention in class and pupils' acadamic achievements.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 1138 students from four primary schools at ages of 6-12 years were randomly sampled from four districts of Changsha city, Hunan Province June 2009 to April 2010. The inquired items included sleep problems, sleep time, sleep quality, attention in class and academic achievements. Teachers and parents observed the pupils according to the unified requirements for 3 months and then filled out the questionnaires.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The total valid inquiry tables were 1091 with the answering rate of 95.87%, including 549 boys and 542 girls. The sleep quality was more poor in children with sleep problems or sleep insufficiency than in children with normal sleep. The sleep quality was reduced and aggravated along with the increasing sleep problems and the reducing sleep time. The attention in class and academic achievements in children with sleep problems or sleep insufficiency were more poor than in children with normal sleep. The sleep quality index was negatively correlated with attention in class and academic achievements. The attention in class was positively correlated with academic achievements.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The decline in sleep quality directly affects the attention in class and reduce the academic achievements in primary school children.</p>