Objective and subjective sleep and caregiving feelings in mothers of infants: a longitudinal daily diary study

Abstract

Study Objectives This study explored the links between mothers’ objective and subjective sleep and their caregiving feelings toward their infant (i.e., patience for the infant, desire to be with the infant, and anger toward the infant), using a diary study design. We were particularly interested in examining whether nights of lower sleep quality within individual mothers predict more negative maternal caregiving feelings the following day. Methods The sample included 151 women, who were recruited during pregnancy. Data were collected at 4 and 8 months after delivery. Maternal sleep was monitored at home for seven nights using actigraphy and sleep diaries. Mothers rated their caregiving feelings each evening. Results Multilevel modelling (controlling for depressive symptoms, feeding method, and background variables) revealed that actigraphic and subjective sleep variables were associated with maternal caregiving feeling, both at the between- and within- person levels. For example, lower sleep percent predicted reduced levels of maternal patience for the infant at 4 and 8 months (between-person effect). Moreover, when a mother had a lower sleep percent on a given night (compared to her average), she reported lower levels of patience for her infant the following day (within-person prospective effect). Conclusion The findings demonstrate, for the first time, that maternal nightly variations in objective and subjective sleep quality predict daily changes in maternal feelings toward her infant at two different assessment points. Improving maternal sleep quality might be an important target for future interventions which may help mothers to feel more positively toward their infant.

Relación de las alteraciones del sueño con el desarrollo de diabetes mellitus gestacional

“…El embarazo se caracteriza por una serie de cambios fisiológicos y anatómicos, dentro de los que se encuentran modificaciones en la fisiología respiratoria. Algunos de los factores relacionados a los cambios en los volúmenes y capacidades pulmonares son: la ganancia de peso, el incremento de diversas hormonas (estrógenos, progesterona, prolactina y cortisol), el aumento de la circunferencia de la pared torácica, el ensanchamiento del ángulo subcostal, y el acortamiento del tórax (16)(17). Este último ocurre a medida que avanza el embarazo y que el útero se va alargando ocasionando alteración en la presión pleural (correspondiente a la presión del líquido que se encuentra entre la pleura parietal y la pleura visceral) aumentando la posibilidad de un cierre temprano de los bronquios con la consecuente limitación del flujo aéreo.…”

A longitudinal study of mother–infant objective and reported sleep in solo-mother and two-parent families.

“…Sleep problems in early childhood are not only prevalent but they may also carry negative implications for children’s socio-emotional, behavioral, and cognitive development (Gregory & Sadeh, 2016; Sadeh et al, 2014). Given the high rates of sleep problems in older infants and toddlers, the sleep of many parents continues to be highly disturbed well beyond the first few months (Mindell et al, 2013; Piteo et al, 2013; Tikotzky et al, 2022), which may increase the risk for parental impaired physical and mental health (Bayer et al, 2007; Christian et al, 2019) and negative parenting (King et al, 2020; McQuillan et al, 2019; Ran-Peled, et al, 2022).…”