Poster #90 - Sleep, Socioeconomic Status, and Employment in Mothers of Toddlers

• In Event: 2-002 - Special Poster Session 05 with Continental Breakfast Reception
  In Poster Session: PS 05 - Interdisciplinary Section

Integrative Statement

Parenting can become stressful, especially if the parent also has a demanding job and/or limited economic resources (Conger et al., 2000; Floderus et al., 2008). Links between stress and sleep have been well-established in the general adult literature (e.g., Van Reeth et al., 2000) and for mothers in particular (McQuillan et al., under review). This association between stress and sleep is important in its own right, as both stress and sleep deficits have negative effects on health (Thoits, 2010; Medic et al., 2017) and on parenting (McQuillan et al., under review). Moreover, mothers’ stress and sleep may be particularly important in relation to mothers’ out-of-home work. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 71% of mothers work outside of the home, but the effects of this employment on maternal stress, sleep, and functioning may depend on a variety of factors, including qualities of the work itself (schedule predictability and job demand and satisfaction) and the mothers’ available resources to meet these demands. Work demands can limit the time available for mothers to sleep (Kalil et al., 2014) or can make it difficult for mothers to fall asleep (Sonnentag & Bayer, 2005). In the present study, we sought to examine whether there was a direct association between maternal employment and sleep, or whether this proposed association may depend on other factors, such as mothers’ socioeconomic status (SES). Women with fewer economic resources tend to sleep less (El-Sheikh et al., 2015), and as increasingly found in developmental research, risk variables tend to interact with one another to predict negative adjustment (Sameroff et al., 1993). The present study considers interactions among maternal employment and SES, as a proxy for other stressors, to predict sleep in mothers of toddlers (N = 231, child age M = 2.60, SD = 0.07 years).

Mothers reported how many hours per week they worked outside of the home (31% worked 0 hours outside the home, and 28% worked 40+ hours). SES was measured using the Hollingshead (1975) Index, incorporating educational attainment and occupational prestige of both mother and spouse (M = 47.71, SD = 13.36 , range 13 – 66). Maternal sleep was measured with actigraphs worn for one week. The Cole-Kripke algorithm was used to score sleep (Cole et al., 1992), and sleep components (Duration, Variability, Timing, and Activity) were extracted based on previous research (Staples et al., under review).

Overall, maternal employment and sleep were not directly associated, except mothers who worked more tended to go to bed earlier (r = -.15, p = .02). However, the link between maternal employment and sleep also depended upon SES. Mothers who worked the most and had the lowest SES also experienced the most variable and shortest sleep (see Figures 1 and 2). This work advances understanding of mothers most at risk for experiencing poor and insufficient sleep. Future research should examine other factors involved in these processes, such as maternal age, marital status, social support, and role overload.

Authors

• Hayley Madura, Indiana University
  Presenting Author

• Maureen E. McQuillan, Indiana University
  Non-Presenting Author

• John Bates, Indiana University - Bloomington
  Non-Presenting Author

• Kirby Deater-Deckard, University Massachusetts
  Non-Presenting Author