Melatonin use in children and adolescents: A scoping review of caregiver perspectives

Samantha K M Lee; Lorraine Smith; Edwin C K Tan; Rose Cairns; Ronald Grunstein; Janet M Y Cheung

doi:10.1016/j.smrv.2023.101808

Melatonin use in children and adolescents: A scoping review of caregiver perspectives

Sleep Med Rev. 2023 Aug:70:101808. doi: 10.1016/j.smrv.2023.101808. Epub 2023 Jun 16.

Authors

Samantha K M Lee¹, Lorraine Smith², Edwin C K Tan², Rose Cairns³, Ronald Grunstein⁴, Janet M Y Cheung⁵

Affiliations

¹ Sydney Pharmacy School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia; Sleep and Circadian Research Group, Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, Australia.
² Sydney Pharmacy School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
³ Sydney Pharmacy School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia; New South Wales Poisons Information Center, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, Australia.
⁴ Sydney Pharmacy School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia; Sleep and Circadian Research Group, Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, Australia; CIRUS Centre for Sleep and Chronobiology, Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, Australia; Central Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
⁵ Sydney Pharmacy School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia; Sleep Research Group, Charles Perkins Center, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia. Electronic address: janet.cheung@sydney.edu.au.

PMID: 37451058
DOI: 10.1016/j.smrv.2023.101808

Abstract

Despite melatonin's popularity as a pediatric sleep-aid, little has been investigated around caregivers' understanding and perception of melatonin use for their dependent. This scoping review analyzes the current literature on pediatric melatonin use, to understand how caregivers' perceptions around melatonin are shaped by their illness/medication-related beliefs, treatment experience and preferences. A literature search was conducted across Embase, Medline, PsycINFO, PubMed and Scopus, generating 184 results for screening against the inclusion criteria. Nineteen studies were retrieved, comprising of 1561 children and adolescents, aged 8.7 ± 2.3 years (range: 0-44 years), conducted primarily in the United States of America (n = 6), Canada (n = 3) and the Netherlands (n = 3). Studies were evaluated for their study design and caregiver-centered outcomes, encompassing: 1) illness/treatment-related beliefs, 2) treatment satisfaction/effectiveness, 3) treatment preference/acceptability, and 4) impact of child's sleep disturbance on caregivers' quality-of-life. Sleep disturbances necessitating melatonin use occurred alongside congenital/neurodevelopmental comorbidities in 18 studies (95%). Melatonin was commonly associated with "naturalness" and "safety". Concepts of treatment satisfaction versus effectiveness were minimally differentiated within included studies. Caregivers preferred concurrent use of melatonin and behavioral interventions for management of their dependents' sleep. Improved sleep in the dependent generally led to better quality-of-life for caregivers and their family.

Keywords: Adolescents; Caregiver perspectives; Caregivers; Children; Melatonin; Pediatric; Sleep; Sleep disturbance; Sleep health.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Caregivers
Child
Comorbidity
Humans
Melatonin* / therapeutic use
Quality of Life
Sleep
Sleep Wake Disorders* / therapy

Substances

Melatonin