Analysis of the associations between anxiety and different family rearing styles and sleep habits in preschool children

Bo NI; Shuge SU; Wenjun QU; Yanqiu WANG

ABSTRACT

Objective:

To explore the associations between anxiety and family rearing styles and sleep habits in preschool children.

Methods:

From March to October 2019, a total of 100 preschool children (47 boys and 53 girls) were investigated by Spence Children′s anxiety scale, Family rearing style Evaluation scale (parents′ version) and self-made sleep habit questionnaire.

Results:

There was no significant difference in the total score of anxiety between girls and boys (55.12 ± 9.89) scores vs. (53.40 ± 11.82) scores, P > 0.05. The parent′s acrasia-control was positively correlated with children′s social anxiety dimension and total score of anxiety ( r = 0.202 and 0.202, P<0.05), the parent′s reception-rejection was positively correlated with children′s generalized anxiety dimension ( r = 0.237, P<0.05), and children′s sleep duration was negatively correlated with physical injury fear dimension and the total score of anxiety ( r = -0.230 and -0.203, P<0.05). The anxiety scores in children who slept in the same bed was significantly higher than that in children who slept alone and who slept in different beds in the same room (53.57 ± 9.75) scores vs. (50.21 ± 13.89) and (50.48 ± 11.50) scores, and there was statistical difference ( P<0.05); there was no difference in the total score of anxiety between children who slept alone and who slept in different beds ( P>0.05). Multivariate analysis result showed that children′s age, sex, sleep duration, parents′ acrasia-control and partial-rough were the predictors of children′s anxiety ( P<0.05 or<0.01).

Conclusions:

Different family rearing styles and children′s bed sleeping styles significantly affect the anxiety of preschool children. Parents should pay attention to the positive effects of good rearing styles and children′s separate sleep on anxiety.