Mental health symptoms in Chinese children with sleep disorders and association with parental emotions

Depression, anxiety, and stress are major mental health challenges during children's development. In China, heightened sleep disorders (SD), parental expectations, and academic stress highlight the importance of this issue. A total of 6,635 SD child-parent dyads were included in analysis. Sleep quality and psychological variables were assessed using Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS) and Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). Children with SD exhibited significantly higher rates of depression, anxiety, stress and life dissatisfaction. We identified the core and bridge symptoms within the Chinese children mental health symptoms and explored their associations with parental mental health. Worthlessness and palpitations, exhibiting the highest centrality values, were identified as core symptoms in the SD group. Palpitations were associated with elevated parental anxiety and stress. Impending collapse associated with parental anxiety, emerging as a bridge symptom may aggravate the occurrence of depression, anxiety and stress comorbidity in children. These symptoms provide theoretical basis for the targeted psychological intervention of Chinese children with SD in the future.