Featured Publications
Do weighted blankets improve sleep among children with a history of maltreatment? A randomized controlled crossover trial.
Cifre A, Vieira A, Baker C, Myers A, Rech M, Kim J, Zhang Y, Alfano C. Do weighted blankets improve sleep among children with a history of maltreatment? A randomized controlled crossover trial. Journal Of Clinical Sleep Medicine 2024, 20: 1405-1413. PMID: 38607244, PMCID: PMC11367729, DOI: 10.5664/jcsm.11152.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchImprove sleepHistory of maltreatmentSleep quality ratingsSubjective sleep diarySample of childrenSleep onset latencyWeighted blanketMaltreated childrenTotal sleep timeIndices of sleepWithin-subjectSleep diaryNon-pharmacological interventionsSleep onsetOnset latencyBiological sexSleep disruptionSleep outcomesTime of participationChild ageSleep timeEstimates of total sleep timeActigraphy-basedFoster careSleepSleep Health among Children Adopted from Foster Care: The Moderating Effect of Parent–Child Sleep Interactions
Cifre A, Budnick C, Bick J, McGlinchey E, Ripple C, Wolfson A, Alfano C. Sleep Health among Children Adopted from Foster Care: The Moderating Effect of Parent–Child Sleep Interactions. Behavioral Sleep Medicine 2024, 22: 472-487. PMID: 38263632, DOI: 10.1080/15402002.2024.2303467.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsFoster careSleep healthChildren's sleepCaregivers of childrenImprove sleep healthHealth of childrenSpecific sleep problemsAssociated with lower levelsChildren's sleep disturbancesOverall sleep qualityMental healthScore matched sampleCareSleep interactionsElevated riskSleep problemsSleep qualityPropensity score matched sampleNight terrorsSleep disturbanceHealthSleep disruptionParental involvementNighttime awakeningsModerating effect
2024
0798 Feasibility & Acceptability of SAFE: A Brief Trauma-Informed Behavioral Sleep Intervention for Youth in Foster Care
Rech M, Harmouch S, Myers A, Kim J, Cifre A, Vieira A, Andre T, Alfano C. 0798 Feasibility & Acceptability of SAFE: A Brief Trauma-Informed Behavioral Sleep Intervention for Youth in Foster Care. Sleep 2024, 47: a342-a342. DOI: 10.1093/sleep/zsae067.0798.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchBehavioral sleep interventionsSleep interventionsActive control conditionRates of sleep problemsChildren's self-regulationParents of children aged 2Caregivers of young childrenBehavioral sleep strategiesAssessed post-treatmentAssessed pre-treatmentRandomized controlled pilot studyClient Satisfaction QuestionnairePost-treatment assessmentOrganic sleep disordersFoster carePost-intervention assessmentScheduling difficultiesImpact well-beingResults of independent-samples t-testsSleep health interventionsTreatment credibilityChildren aged 2Trauma-informed approachSafe groupSES families0805 Melatonin Use Among Children in Foster Care: Associations with Sleep and Daytime Behavior
Baker C, Vieira A, Cifre A, Wolfson A, Ripple C, McGlinchey E, Alfano C. 0805 Melatonin Use Among Children in Foster Care: Associations with Sleep and Daytime Behavior. Sleep 2024, 47: a345-a345. DOI: 10.1093/sleep/zsae067.0805.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchFoster careEmotional/behavioral problemsAssociated with child depressionDaytime behavior problemsAdministered melatoninAssociated with poor sleep qualityAnxiety symptomsChild depressionAssociated with sleepFoster childrenFoster caregiversBehavior problemsBehavioral correlatesPoor sleep qualityMelatonin useSleep problemsChildren's sleepDaytime behaviorSurvey dataU.S. statesSleep qualityPoor nighttime sleepHispanic childrenDaytime problemsSleep