Table 3.
Meta-analyses for each sleep problem of subjective sleep measures
Meta-analysis |
Heterogeneity |
Egger’s testa |
P-curve analysisb |
|||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sleep parameters |
k |
ASD_N |
Control_N |
Hedges’ g (95% CI) |
Z |
P |
Q |
P |
I2 (%) |
t |
P |
Presence of evidential value |
Moderating factors |
Notec |
Daytime sleepiness |
7 |
363 |
436 |
0.48 (0.26, 0.71) |
4.91 |
<0.0001 |
11.86 |
0.0652 |
49.4 |
0.749 |
0.4877 |
Yes |
Mean age of ASD group and Questionnaires for sleep |
|
Parasomnias |
5 |
231 |
314 |
0.31 (−0.07, 0.69) |
1.61 |
0.1075 |
14.49 |
<0.01 |
72.4 |
1.168 |
0.3272 |
Publication year |
||
Sleep-disordered breathing |
6 |
295 |
367 |
0.19 (−0.31, 0.69) |
0.74 |
0.461 |
48.61 |
<0.0001 |
89.7 |
0.917 |
0.4108 |
|||
Sleep latency |
5 |
196 |
186 |
1.15 (0.72, 1.58) |
5.22 |
<0.0001 |
11.6 |
0.02 |
65.5 |
−1.766 |
0.1757 |
Yes |
Percentage of boys in ASD group, ID and Questionnaires for sleep |
|
Bedtime resistance |
2 |
22 |
23 |
0.42 (−0.57, 1.40) |
0.82 |
0.41 |
2.65 |
0.1037 |
62.2 |
a,b,c,d,e |
||||
Disorders in initiating and maintaining sleep |
3 |
209 |
291 |
0.86 (0.39, 1.33) |
3.59 |
<0.0005 |
12 |
0.003 |
83.3 |
0.626 |
0.6441 |
Yes |
ID |
a,b,c,e |
Night waking |
2 |
22 |
23 |
0.17 (−0.82, 1.16) |
0.33 |
0.7398 |
2.72 |
0.0992 |
63.2 |
a,b,c,d,e |
||||
Sleep anxiety |
2 |
22 |
23 |
1.11 (−0.09, 2.31) |
1.81 |
0.0696 |
3.29 |
0.0696 |
69.6 |
a,b,c,d,e |
||||
Sleep duration |
3 |
100 |
101 |
0.17 (−1.39, 1.72) |
0.21 |
0.8324 |
21.3 |
<0.0001 |
90.6 |
1.534 |
0.3678 |
a,b,c |
||
Sleep hyperhidrosis |
3 |
209 |
291 |
0.48 (0.29, 0.66) |
5.1 |
<0.0001 |
1.84 |
0.3981 |
0 |
9.409 |
0.0674 |
Yes |
a,b,c,e |
|
Sleep–wake transition disorders |
3 |
209 |
291 |
0.51 (−0.05, 1.07) |
1.78 |
0.0751 |
20.02 |
<0.0001 |
90 |
0.059 |
0.9625 |
ID |
a,b,c,e |
|
Total sleep problem |
7 |
709 |
951 |
0.87 (0.58, 1.16) |
5.93 |
<0.0001 |
23.88 |
<0.001 |
74.9 |
1.695 |
0.1509 |
Yes |
Publication year and mean age of ASD group |
|
Abbreviation: ASD = autism spectrum disorder, CI = confidence interval, ID = intellectual disability, k = the number of studies, N = the number and NA = not available.
Egger’s test may lack the statistical power to detect bias when the number of studies is small (i.e., k < 10).
Blanked cells indicated the case where the p-curve analysis was not carried out due to the number of statistically significant studies were scarce.
Meta-regression or subgroup analysis was not available for (a) publication year, (b) the mean age of ASD group, (c) percentage of boys in ASD group, (d) the inclusion of ID or (e) questionnaires for sleep. The reasons for each note are presented in the Supplementary Appendix.