Background. Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) affects up to 4% of a pediatric population, with many comorbidities in the medium-long term. Functional alterations in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) may explain why OSAS impacts aspects such as executive functions, memory, motor control, attention, visual-spatial skills, learning, and mood regulation. Emotional intelligence (EI) is a complex neuropsychological function that could be impaired in many clinical conditions. Purpose. The aim of the study is to evaluate the difference in emotional intelligence skills among children with OSAS and healthy subjects (nOSAS). Methods. 129 children (72 males; mean age years) affected by OSAS were compared to 264 non-OSAS (nOSAS) children (138 males; mean age ) similar for gender, age, and socioeconomic status. In order to assess the emotional quotient, the Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventory: Youth Version (EQ-i:YV) was used. Results. The comparison for means and standard deviation between OSAS children and nOSAS children for EQ-i:YV scores showed significant differences for Interpersonal, Adaptability, and Stress Management scales and EQ Total score. Conclusions. Our findings highlighted the role of intermittent hypoxia in the genesis of the effects of sleep-related respiratory disorders, which involves also aspects different from physical impairments.

中文翻译：

---

患有严重睡眠相关呼吸障碍的儿童的情商。

背景。阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停综合征 (OSAS) 影响多达 4% 的儿科人群，其中长期存在许多合并症。前额叶皮层 (PFC) 的功能改变可以解释为什么 OSAS 会影响执行功能、记忆、运动控制、注意力、视觉空间技能、学习和情绪调节等方面。情商 (EI) 是一种复杂的神经心理功能，在许多临床情况下可能会受损。目的。该研究的目的是评估患有 OSAS 和健康受试者 (nOSAS) 的儿童在情商方面的差异。方法。129 名儿童（72 名男性；平均年龄年）与 264 名非 OSAS (nOSAS) 儿童（138 名男性；平均年龄)在性别、年龄和社会经济地位方面相似。为了评估情商，使用了 Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventory: Youth Version (EQ-i:YV)。结果。OSAS 儿童和 nOSAS 儿童 EQ-i:YV 分数的均值和标准差比较显示，人际、适应性和压力管理量表和 EQ 总分存在显着差异。结论。我们的研究结果强调了间歇性缺氧在睡眠相关呼吸系统疾病影响的发生中的作用，这也涉及与身体损伤不同的方面。