Sleep disturbances during childhood are common and often resolve spontaneously without intervention (Touchette et al., 2005; Galland et al., 2012). However, those that are persistent and frequent have been shown to be associated with the development of later psychopathology including psychotic like experiences (Jeppesen et al., 2014). Previous research exploring data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children has shown that children, aged 2.5 and 9 years old, experiencing frequent nightmares were more likely to report psychotic experiences at age 12 (Fisher et al., 2014). Similarly, nightmares at 12 years old was also found to be associated with an increased risk of psychotic experiences at aged 18 (Thompson et al., 2015). Such findings suggest that nightmares during childhood may represent an important and clinically significant indicator for risk of psychotic experiences in adolescence.

The relationship between childhood sleep disturbances and the presence of psychotic experiences beyond the age of 18 is still yet to be understood. Research has shown that the incidence of psychotic experiences often peaks during adolescence to early adulthood (McGrath et al., 2016) and sleep disturbances frequently co-occur with psychotic like experiences during this time (Taylor et al., 2015). Consequently, understanding which early sleep problems present as a risk factor for the development of later psychotic experiences is key. This project will explore the longitudinal associations between childhood and adolescent sleep problems between the ages of 2.5 - 17 years old and self-reported psychotic experiences at 24 years old.

Fisher, H.L., Lereya, S.T., Thompson, A., Lewis, G., Zammit, S. and Wolke, D., 2014. Childhood parasomnias and psychotic experiences at age 12 years in a United Kingdom birth cohort. Sleep, 37(3), pp.475-482.
Galland, B.C., Taylor, B.J., Elder, D.E. and Herbison, P., 2012. Normal sleep patterns in infants and children: a systematic review of observational studies. Sleep medicine reviews, 16(3), pp.213-222.
Jeppesen, P., Clemmensen, L., Munkholm, A., Rimvall, M.K., Rask, C.U., Jørgensen, T., Larsen, J.T., Petersen, L., van Os, J. and Skovgaard, A.M., 2015. Psychotic experiences co‐occur with sleep problems, negative affect and mental disorders in preadolescence. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 56(5), pp.558-565.
McGrath, J.J., Saha, S., Al-Hamzawi, A.O., Alonso, J., Andrade, L., Borges, G., Bromet, E.J., Oakley Browne, M., Bruffaerts, R., Caldas de Almeida, J.M. and Fayyad, J., 2016. Age of onset and lifetime projected risk of psychotic experiences: cross-national data from the World Mental Health Survey. Schizophrenia bulletin, 42(4), pp.933-941.
Taylor, M.J., Gregory, A.M., Freeman, D. and Ronald, A., 2015. Do sleep disturbances and psychotic-like experiences in adolescence share genetic and environmental influences?. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 124(3), p.674.
Thompson, A., Lereya, S.T., Lewis, G., Zammit, S., Fisher, H.L. and Wolke, D., 2015. Childhood sleep disturbance and risk of psychotic experiences at 18: UK birth cohort. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 207(1), pp.23-29.
Touchette, É., Petit, D., Paquet, J., Boivin, M., Japel, C., Tremblay, R.E. and Montplaisir, J.Y., 2005. Factors associated with fragmented sleep at night across early childhood. Archives of pediatrics & adolescent medicine, 159(3), pp.242-249.