Maternal emotional distress and infant sleep
A longitudinal study from pregnancy through 18 months
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 9786980 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Liat Tikotzky (0000-0002-7569-9392, corresponding author), Ella Volkovich, Gal Meiri (0000-0003-4100-4588, Faculty of Public Health) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 57 |
| Issue | 7 |
| Pages | 1111-1123 |
| Publication date | 2021-07-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Developmental Psychology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0012-1649 • E-ISSN: 1939-0599 |
| Publisher | American Psychological Association (APA) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1037/dev0001081 |
| PMID | 34435826 |
| OpenAlex | W3194688144 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 5 |
This longitudinal study examined whether changes in maternal emotional distress (depressive, anxiety, and parenting-stress symptoms) predict changes over time in subjective and objective infant sleep. We recruited 226 Israeli expectant mothers ( M age 28.8 ± 3.3), most representing the middle-upper socioeconomic class. Maternal depressive and anxiety symptoms were assessed in the third trimester of pregnancy. After delivery (3, 6, 12, and 18 months), infant sleep quality and duration were assessed for 5 nights using actigraphy and the Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaire. Maternal depressive and anxiety symptoms were reassessed, and maternal parenting-stress was measured at all postpartum assessments. The findings demonstrated significant correlations between maternal emotional distress and mothers' subjective ratings of infant sleep problems (rs >.16 and < .46). Latent trajectory analyses indicated no significant effects of changes in maternal emotional distress variables on changes in infant subjective or objective sleep. Post hoc power analyses demonstrated that we had enough statistical power to reject the null hypothesis. The results suggest that mothers with higher emotional distress symptoms-and especially those with parenting-stress symptoms-are more likely to experience their infant's sleep as problematic. However, our results challenge the assumption that maternal emotional distress symptoms contribute to infant sleep disturbances over time. The findings are relevant to mothers with mild to moderate emotional distress symptoms and must not be generalized to mothers who experience major clinical depression. Future studies should evaluate whether maternal emotional distress interacts with other risk factors, such as infant temperament, to predict infant sleep disturbances. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)
Anxiety · Child development · Developmental psychology · Distress · Emotional development · Emotional distress · Longitudinal study · Pregnancy · Psychiatry · Sleep (system call · Social change · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development · Clinical Psychology · Infant Health and Development · Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum · Medicine · Psychology
Are Maternal Adverse Childhood Experiences Associated with Their Preschool Children’s Sleep Disruptions? Longitudinal Mediation Through Mothers’ Depressive Symptoms and Children’s Screen Time
Maternal Depression and Sleep Problems in Early Childhood
Longitudinal changes in term and preterm infant night wakings
Gendered Racial Microaggressions and Sleep Quality
Relationship between family environmental factors and infant sleep
| Unique citing works | 5 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1.67 |
| Citation span | 2023 - 2026 (4) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 5 |