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Poster #137 - Infant Sleep Predicts Maternal Self-Efficacy at Newborn and Two Months

Thu, March 21, 9:30 to 10:45am, Baltimore Convention Center, Floor: Level 1, Exhibit Hall B

Integrative Statement

Extensive literature has documented that infant sleep problems affect maternal well-being and parenting (Giallo, Rose, & Vittorino, 2011). Maternal self-efficacy has been shown to be impacted by mothers’ perceptions of their infants (Fulton, Mastergeorge, Steele, & Hansen, 2012). Furthermore, maternal insecure attachment is related to sleep problems in toddlers (Sadeh, 2010), which could imply that poor infant sleep may be associated with lower maternal self-efficacy. However, research is needed to explore the relation between infant sleep and maternal self-efficacy . The present study examined continuous hours of infant sleep as a predictor of maternal self-efficacy at newborn and two months of age.
Longitudinal (n = 30) and cross-sectional (n = 27) reports from PediaTrac, an online tracking tool for development, were collected at newborn (NB; n = 45) and two months (2m; n = 39). The Maternal Self-Report Inventory (MSRI; Shea & Tronick, 1988) assessed five domains of self-efficacy (higher scores indicate greater self-esteem): caretaking; ability and preparedness for mothering role; expected mother-infant relationship; feelings about pregnancy, labor, and delivery; and acceptance of infant. Since mothers in the cross-sectional sample had more education (t(55) = 3.47, p = .001) and higher income, (t(55) = 2.61, p = .01) than the longitudinal sample, sample was included as a predictor for all models. Bivariate correlations between all study variables are reported (Table 1).
Separate mixed-effects models predicted the five MSRI scales from child variables (age, sex), demographics (maternal age, education, income), continuous hours of nighttime sleep (child, mother), and cross-sectional versus longitudinal samples. Infant sex, maternal sleep, and income were not significant predictors for any model; therefore, they were omitted from the final analysis (Table 2). Also excluded was the model predicting MSRI scale: Feelings about Pregnancy, Labor, and Delivery because there were no significant predictors. Older mothers reported greater caretaking self-efficacy. Mothers from the longitudinal sample, mothers of 2-month-olds, and mothers of infants with shorter nighttime sleep reported greater ability and preparedness self-efficacy. Mothers of 2-month-olds, mothers with less education, and mothers of infants with shorter nighttime sleep reported greater acceptance of their infant.
Contrary to expectations, a longer period of nighttime infant sleep was predictive of lower levels of self-efficacy in three domains: ability and preparedness, mother-infant relationship, and acceptance of their infant. This may be explained by mothers’ feelings of closeness with and attachment to their infants who wake more during the night. Perhaps mothers of infants who sleep less feel more needed by their infants, thus increasing their parenting self-efficacy and their relationship with their infant. Conversely, mothers of infants who sleep more may spend less time caregiving at night, thus decreasing their self-efficacy and closeness with their infant. Alternatively, mothers who feel more effective in their role might be more sensitive and quicker to respond to infant noises, thus decreasing number of continuous hours of infant sleep at night. This raises questions about what is better for the child: longer continuous hours of nighttime sleep, or more frequent interactions with their mother.

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