PsychBriefs: September 9-15, 2007

Preschoolers Who Sleep Less Suffer Learning Problems
Preschoolers who sleep less than ten hours per night are at risk for learning problems when they enter school, shows a six-year study of 1500 Canadian children. Children who regularly underslept before the age of 3 1/2 years were three times as likely to have low language scores than children who slept ten or more hours. They also showed low spatial and visual skills and were more likely to be hyperactive, even if they had increased their sleeping time as they got older, suggesting a critical window in child development where sleep is especially important.
[ARTICLE]

9/11 Rescue Workers PTSD Rates Vary By Profession
A study of the 28,962 workers enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Registry shows that six years later, 12.4 percent suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Rates vary consderably by profession, with police officers suffering the least (6.2 percent) and construction workers and unaffiliated volunteers showing the greatest rates (17.8 and 21.2 percent, respectively). Researchers suggest this difference may be because new situations cause greater distress and police officers are often exposed to traumatic situations. They also note that officers may under-report symptoms, however, for fear of losing their jobs.
[REPORT]