Objective:

To explore early post-traumatic sleep status and its associations with related symptoms in children with high-energy trauma using ecological momentary assessment (EMA).

Approach:

• Study Design: A longitudinal observational design was adopted, monitoring sleep status and related symptoms for the first five days post-trauma.
• Participants: Children with high-energy trauma admitted to the hospital from July 1, 2024, to May 15, 2025, were recruited using convenience sampling.
• Data Analysis: Data were analyzed using generalized estimating equations (GEE) and multivariate linear regression.

Key Findings:

• Pain was the most severe symptom (P < 0.001), followed by anxiety (P = 0.033), fear (P = 0.012), and fatigue (P = 0.034).
• Sleep quality was significantly associated with pain, anxiety, fear, and dizziness.
• Reduced sleep efficiency was significantly associated with pain, itching, and numbness.
• Fatigue was significantly associated with improved sleep efficiency.
• Pain and fear were significantly associated with nocturnal awakenings.

Interpretation:

Children with high-energy trauma exhibit sleep disturbances in the early post-traumatic period, with varying influencing factors over time.

Limitations:

• The study used convenience sampling, which may limit generalizability.
• The sample size was relatively small with only 69 patients included in the final analysis.

Conclusion:

Close attention should be paid to sleep disorders and their associated influencing factors.