Sleep Environments of Children in an Urban U.S. Setting Exposed to Interpersonal Violence.

This study investigated how violence influences children's sleep environments. Sixty-five children ages 8-16 years and a parent or guardian were recruited from agencies serving families experiencing violence. At baseline (5 weeks post-violent event), 6 months, and 12 months postbaseline, study staff collected sleep-behavior information and conducted systematic, qualitative assessments of sleep environments.

Association between children's exposure to a violent event and objectively and subjectively measured sleep characteristics: a pilot longitudinal study.

Although sleep disturbances are commonly reported among children exposed to violence, objective evidence of such disturbances is rare. This longitudinal, home-based study assessed the effects of a known community- or family-violence incident on both actigraphy-derived and subjectively reported sleep outcomes of an ethnically mixed, urban sample of children aged 8-16 years. We hypothesized that increased event severity (child physical assault, witnessed homicide) would be associated with lower sleep duration and poorer sleep quality both at baseline and at 3-month follow-up.

Acute stress symptoms in children: results from an international data archive.

Objective: To describe the prevalence of acute stress disorder (ASD) symptoms and to examine proposed DSM-5 symptom criteria in relation to concurrent functional impairment in children and adolescents.

Method: From an international archive, datasets were identified that included assessment of acute traumatic stress reactions and concurrent impairment in children and adolescents 5 to 17 years of age. Data came from 15 studies conducted in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and Switzerland and included 1,645 children and adolescents.