Foster Caregivers' Perceptions of Children's Sleep Patterns, Problems, and Environments.

This article focuses on sleep health among children in foster care in the United States, based on a survey of 485 foster caregivers reporting on children aged 4 to 11 years. Despite developmentally appropriate bed and wake times, caregivers frequently reported sleep difficulties including prolonged time to fall asleep (average 46 minutes), nighttime awakenings (average 34 minutes), and high rates of nightmares (51.2%), sleep terrors (26.4%), bedwetting (14.2%), snoring (32.8%), and teeth grinding (21.8%). Qualitative data highlighted emotional and behavioral challenges at bedtime, particularly fear and anxiety related to trauma and separation from biological parents. The findings underscore significant sleep health disparities in this population and suggest a need for trauma-informed, behavioral sleep interventions tailored to foster children’s unique experiences to improve their overall health and well-being.