Objective sleep patterns and severity of symptoms in pediatric obsessive compulsive disorder: A pilot investigation

Sleep disturbances are common among youth with anxiety disorders, yet objective assessments of sleep in children with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) have been the focus of scant research. We therefore compared a small group of non-medicated, non-depressed children with primary OCD (ages 7–11 years) to matched healthy controls using home-based actigraphy during a 7-day prospective assessment. Validated parent and child sleep measures also were collected, and associations among objective sleep variables and severity of obsessions and compulsions were examined. We found significantly fragmented sleep patterns in the OCD group compared to controls including reduced total sleep time (TST) and longer wake periods after sleep onset. Severity of compulsions showed a significant negative correlation with TST. These preliminary findings indicate the presence of sleep abnormalities in pre-pubescent OCD patients with potential implications for future examinations of early developmental processes and features of the disorder.

► We compare objective sleep patterns in children with OCD and matched controls.
► We examine associations between sleep variables and severity of OCD symptoms.
► Children with OCD show reduced total sleep and fragmented sleep patterns.
► Severity of compulsions is negatively correlated with total sleep time.