Sleeping Like a Baby: Longitudinal analysis of infant’s sleep impacting mother’s stress and sensitivity.

• In Event: Poster Session 12
  In Poster Session: PS 12 Topic - Family Context & Processes

Abstract

Becoming a mother, though joyous, can lead to a normative rise in stress(Amirkhan & Auyeung, 2007). In addition, parents must be awake to tend to a new infant as often as every 2-3 hours (Gau & Merikangas, 2004) often leading to sleep deprivation. Separate studies have shown that greater stress (Cutrona, 1984) and less sleep (Whittingham & Douglas, 2014) are related to poorer parenting behaviors. Despite the biological links between sleep and stress (Wright et al., 2015), little research has examined how adjusting to an infant’s sleep schedule affects mother’s stress and subsequent behavior (i.e. sensitivity), let alone how sleep deprivation over time could affect parent stress and sensitivity.
The current study investigates the cascading effects of infant sleep patterns on parent stress and subsequent parent sensitivity. Data were obtained from a multisite, longitudinal study (Parenting for the First Time (PFT); Lefever, et al., 2008) examining precursors of neglectful parenting in a diverse sample (N = 682) of first-time mothers and their infants. Mother’s completed a prenatal prescreen during their 3rd trimester which included mother sleep variables. At 4-, 8-, 18-, and 30-months, mother’s reported on sleep variables and mother-infant dyads participated in home visits to assess maternal sensitivity (LANDRY; Landy, et al., 1997; HOME; Caldwell & Bradley, 1984). At 6-, 12-, 24-, and 36-months, mother’s completed questionnaires on parenting stress (PSI/SF; Abidin, 1995).
To assess the normative effect of infant sleep patterns on parent stress and sensitivity, a cross-lagged panel model (CLPMs; Cole & Maxwell, 2003) was conducted. Infant gender and mothers’ sleep before birth were identified as possible covariates in preliminary correlations but were not included in the final model because the pathways were nonsignificant. Figure 1 depicts the direct pathways included in the final model; infant sleep to later parent stress (a-paths), parent stress to sensitivity (b-paths), infant sleep to parent sensitivity (c-paths), and parent sensitivity to infant sleep (d-path). Analyses also tested longitudinal sleep-stress-sensitivity mediation pathways and concurrent relations between infant sleep and parent stress.
Results of the cross-lagged panel model (see Figure 2) revealed that more infant nightly sleep at 4-months (est = .029, p = .05) and lower parent stress at 6-months (est = -.005, p < .001) are related to greater maternal sensitivity at 8-months. There is a similar relationship between stress at 24 months and parent sensitivity at 30 months (est = -.005, p = .01). Infant sleep did not significantly predict parent stress and mediation pathways were nonsignificant. Concerning concurrent relations, only infant sleep and parent sensitivity at 4 months were significantly related (est = .068, p = .054). Overall, the results indicate that early infant sleep and parent stress independently affect a mother’s sensitive behavior with her infant. Additional research is needed to address the limitations of this study (missing data, possible measurement error in the sleep measure, and exclusion of fathers). Despite the limitations, such results demonstrate the need to support first time mothers early in their transition to motherhood.

Authors

• Molly ONeill, University of Notre Dame
  Presenting Author

• Julie M Braungart-Rieker, Colorado State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Jennifer Elizabeth Burke Lefever, University of Notre Dame
  Non-Presenting Author