The relationship between screen time before bedtime and behaviors of preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder and the mediating effects of sleep

Background There are overlapping effects of screen time and sleep on children’s behavior. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship of screen time with behavior problems in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and the probable mediating effects of sleep, in order to provide evidence for the need for clinical identification and intervention. Methods A sample of 358 preschoolers with ASD were included. We investigated the children’s basic characteristics of sex and age, ASD symptoms (ABC, CARS, and ADOS-2), neurodevelopment (GDS-C), sleep habits (CSHQ), and behavior (CBCL). Pearson correlation tests were used to determine the direct correlations among children’s screen time, CBCL, and CSHQ. Linear regression analysis was used to explore whether screen time predicted total score of CBCL. Multi-step linear regression analysis was used to investigate the mediating effect of sleep on the relationship between screen time and total score of CBCL. Results Screen time before bedtime was correlated with CBCL and CSHQ, which indicated that screen time before bedtime was correlated with sleep and behavior in children with ASD. Screen time before bedtime was a predictor of CBCL total score (indicating children’s behavior), and CSHQ total score (indicating children’s sleep habits) played a partial mediating role between screen time before bedtime and children’s behavior. Conclusion Clinicians should support and educate parents of children with ASD, which should focus on managing screen time, especially screen time before bedtime.