Weighted blankets as a sleep intervention for children with ADHD

BAKGRUND: Healthy sleep practices for children should be promoted as an essential part of a healthy lifestyle, with important implications for the entire family. Unhealthy sleep patterns and sleep-related problems disrupt everyday life and functioning. Sleep problems are common among children, especially those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Weighted blankets are one type of non-pharmacological intervention that has been used in health-care settings, such as occupational therapy practice. However, evidence is scarce and knowledge is lacking concerning the effects of weighted blankets on sleep and their potential benefits. Given the challenges children with ADHD face in sleep problems and emotional and behavioural regulation, weighted blankets could be a particular relevant intervention. The SLEEP project was thus designed to increase current evidence and knowledge about the use of weighted blankets as a sleep intervention for children with ADHD. AIM: The overall aim of this thesis was to investigate the impact of weighted blankets on the sleep health of children with ADHD and sleep problems. METHODS: A crossover randomised controlled trial (Study I) was conducted that included 94 children with ADHD, 6-14 years old. Children were randomly assigned to four weeks of a weighted blanket or four weeks of a lighter control blanket, followed by the other intervention. Data was collected with actigraphy (primary outcome), child- and parent-questionnaires and a daily sleep diary. The efficacy of weighted blankets was analysed with a paired t-test. An experimental longitudinal study (Study II) was carried out that involved the same 94 children, who were followed for 16 weeks. Weighted blanket-adherent vs non-adherent children were compared based on sample characteristics and changed sleep outcomes. The data collected at baseline, at 4 weeks, 8 weeks and at 16-week follow-up were analysed with mixed effect models. Weighted blanket-adherent children were further examined longitudinally (Study III) and compared from baseline to the 16-week follow-up. Parents’ ratings of children’s sleep problems were analysed using paired t-test and McNemar’s test. Furthermore, a qualitative study (Study IV) was performed in which a purposive sample of 26 children participated in individual interviews. A qualitative content analysis was performed to analyse the data. RESULTS: In Study I, weighted blankets were found to be more efficacious than the lighter control