Nighttime Fears and Coping Responses in School-Aged Children: A Latent Profile Analysis

• Autores: Iván Fernández Martínez, Mireia Orgilés Amorós, José Pedro Espada Sánchez, Samuel Tomczyk, Alexandra Morales Sabuco
• Localización: Psicothema, ISSN-e 1886-144X, ISSN 0214-9915, Vol. 36, Nº. 3, 2024, págs. 297-305
• Idioma: inglés
• DOI: 10.7334/psicothema2023.359
• Enlaces
  • Texto completo (pdf)
• Resumen
  • español

    Antecedentes: Los miedos nocturnos son frecuentes entre los niños en edad escolar y pueden estar relacionados con dificultades psicológicas, mientras que las estrategias de afrontamiento pueden variar y afectar a su bienestar emocional. El objetivo principal de este estudio fue identificar patrones de miedos nocturnos y estilos de afrontamiento en niños en edad escolar mediante el Análisis de Perfiles Latentes. Asimismo, se comprobaron los posibles predictores de los perfiles latentes mediante un análisis de regresión logística multinomial. Método: Una muestra de 786 niños hispanohablantes (812 años; Medad = 9,66, DT = 1,20; 51,3% niñas) participaron completando medidas de autoinforme sobre miedos nocturnos y respuestas de afrontamiento. Resultados: Los resultados revelaron cuatro perfiles latentes: (1)“miedos bajos, autocontrol bajo” (24,2%), (2)“miedos altos (excepto miedos imaginarios), afrontamiento desadaptativo” (22,8%), (3)“miedos moderados, afrontamiento adaptativo” (44,9%), y (4)“miedos altos, afrontamiento desadaptativo” (8,1%). El análisis de regresión reveló que las características sociodemográficas y la utilidad percibida por los niños respecto a las estrategias de afrontamiento eran predictores de los perfiles latentes. Conclusiones: Estos hallazgos sugieren la presencia de patrones distintos y subgrupos heterogéneos, pudiendo emerger como perfiles de mayor o menor riesgo. Ello enfatiza la necesidad de considerar los patrones existentes para ofrecer intervenciones adaptadas dirigidas a los miedos nocturnos.

  • English

    Background: Nighttime fears are common among school-aged children and may be linked to psychological difficulties, while coping strategies may vary and affect their emotional well-being. This study aimed to identify patterns of nighttime fears and coping styles in school-aged children using Latent Profile Analysis. Subsequently, possible predictors of the latent profiles were tested through multinomial logistic regression analysis. Method: A sample of 786 Spanish-speaking children (aged 8 to 12; Mage = 9.66, SD = 1.20; 51.3% girls) participated and completed self-report measures of nighttime fears and coping responses. Results: The results revealed four latent profiles: (1)“low fears, low self-control” (24.2%), (2)“high fears (except for imaginary fears), maladaptive coping” (22.8%), (3)“moderate fears, adaptive coping” (44.9%), and (4)“high fears, maladaptive coping” (8.1%). The regression analysis revealed that sociodemographic characteristics and children’s perceived helpfulness of coping strategies were predictors of the latent profiles. Conclusions: These findings suggest the presence of distinct patterns and heterogeneous subgroups, which may emerge as higher or lower risk profiles. It highlights the need to consider the existing patterns to provide tailored interventions targeting nighttime fears.

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