16/08/2026
Hot off the press! 🎉
Our study on prescribed sleep medication use among children and young people receiving mental health crisis interventions has been published in the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing.
Read the article (free access): https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jcap.70071
Key findings:
• 20.9% of children and young people were prescribed sleep medications (primarily melatonin, with limited benzodiazepine use).
• A longer duration of care with the Safeguards Service was associated with increased sleep medication use (AOR = 3.61, 95% CI: 1.19–10.94).
• Young people with trauma-related psychiatric conditions were significantly more likely to use prescribed sleep medication (AOR = 2.81, 95% CI: 1.09–7.19).
• Polypharmacy was strongly associated with sleep medication use (AOR = 11.36, 95% CI: 4.46–28.95).
These findings highlight the importance of monitoring sleep difficulties and prescribing practices among young people experiencing acute mental health crises. There needs to be a focus on addressing the underlying causes of sleep difficulties and exploring adjunct non-pharmacological interventions, especially for those with trauma-related psychiatric conditions, those who tend to have a longer length of stay and are prescribed multiple medications, including for sleep.
Many thanks to our collaborators and partners at SWSLHD, NSW Health, UNSW Medicine & Health, The School of Clinical Medicine, Western Sydney University, and, most importantly, the children, young people, parents, and carers who contributed to this work.
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Thanks to all authors.
