Relationship between sleep characteristics, motor development, and sensory processing in late preterm infants

Zorlular R., Zorlular A., ELBASAN B.

Sleep Medicine, cilt.136, 2025 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus) identifier identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 136
  • Basım Tarihi: 2025
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1016/j.sleep.2025.106851
  • Dergi Adı: Sleep Medicine
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, CINAHL, MEDLINE, Psycinfo
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Motor development, Preterm, Sensory processing, Sleep
  • Gazi Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

The study aimed to investigate the relationship between sleep and motor development and sensory processing skills in late preterm infants. This cross-sectional study included 81 late preterm infants with a corrected age of 6–9 monthsThe infants' sleep characteristics, motor development, and sensory processing skills were assessed using three assessment tools, respectively: The Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaire, Peabody Developmental Motor Scales-2 (PDMS-2), and Test of Sensory Functions in Infants (TSFI). Linear and multiple regression analyses were conducted to asses the relationship between sleep characteristics and both PDMS-2 and TSFI scores. Models were adjusted for corrected age, gestational age, and birth weight. Nighttime sleep duration (p = 0.001, p = 0.001), number of night awakenings (p = 0.003, p = 0.001), sleep onset latency (p = 0.001, p = 0.001), and longest continuous night sleep (p = 0.044, p = 0.001) were found to be statistically related to the PDMS-2 total score and TSFI total score. Multiple regression models were used for outcomes significantly associated with multiple predictors in univariate analyses to evaluate adjusted effects and control for confounders. Considering the multivariate model results, nighttime sleep duration (p < 0.05) was statistically associated with TSFI subtests and total score. Additionally, nighttime sleep duration and corrected age were observed to be associated with the PDMS-2 total score. (p < 0.05). In this cross-sectional study, it was observed that sleep characteristics, especially nighttime sleep duration, may be associated with motor development and sensory processing skills in late preterm infants. Evaluation of sleep and its associations with motor-sensory development in late preterm infants may provide useful insights, but longitudinal studies are needed before concluding potential intervention strategies. The study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov with the number NCT06880588.