Sleep Deprivation is an Additional Stress for Parents Staying in Hospital

PURPOSE. This study aims to describe the sleep experience of parents staying overnight with their children in hospital. DESIGN AND METHODS. Parents (n = 102) completed the Verran and Snyder-Halpern Sleep Scale following a night spent with their children in an Australian tertiary pediatric hospital. RESULTS. Parents experienced sleep deprivation and poor quality of sleep, reporting a mean sleep period of 4.6 hr (SD = 2.1). Having only one child in the room was the only variable that significantly influenced the quality or amount of parental sleep. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS. Parental sleep deprivation needs to be acknowledged and accommodated when nurses and parents negotiate the care of children in hospital. © 2008 Blackwell Publishing.