Poster #148 - Stress of Parents with Young Infants Mediates the Effect of Sleep on Parenting Behavior.

• In Event: 1-115 - Poster Session 03
  In Poster Session: PS 03 Section - Parenting & Parent-Child Relationships

Integrative Statement

The arrival of an infant, though joyous, can wreak havoc on household dynamics. One area in which parent’s lives are greatly affected is sleep. On average, adults sleep 7-9 consecutive hours with few instances of wakefulness (Gau & Merikangas, 2004). However, infants’ parents must awaken throughout the night roughly every 2-3 hours to tend to them (Gau & Merikangas, 2004). Consequently, sleep deprivation is related to poorer parenting behavior (Whittingham & Douglas, 2014). However, current research has not addressed the link between sleep and parenting behavior through stress, despite the biological links between sleep and stress (Wright et al., 2015). Moreover, little research has focused on how the father’s behavior is impacted by sleep and stress.
The current study examines parent stress as a mediator between sleep quality and parenting behavior in both mothers and fathers of young infants. Data were obtained from an ongoing longitudinal study evaluating the effects of two interventions on parenting behaviors, infant development, and overall family functioning. For the purposes of this study, only the pre-test data, when infants were 6 months old, will be utilized (current N = 115). Questionnaires assessed sleep deprivation (IDAS insomnia subscale; Watson et al., 2007), parent stress (PSI/SF; Abidin, 2012), and parent competence (PSOC; Gibaud-Wallston & Wandersman, 1978). Laboratory observations of parent-infant dyads participating in the Still Face Paradigm (SFP; Tronik et al., 1978) were video recorded for later observational coding; parent sensitivity coding (Braungart-Rieker et al., 2001) is in progress and will be utilized in future analyses.
Preliminary correlations revealed no significant demographic covariates of parent insomnia, stress, and competence. Therefore, the following analyses do not include covariates. Two structural equation models were conducted to test parenting stress as a mediator between sleep quality and parenting competence. Analyses revealed a significant mediation pathway for mothers (estM = -.48, SEM = .21, p < .05) and for fathers (estF = -.28, SEF = .12, p < .05); greater insomnia was related to greater parenting stress (see Figure 1, a path) and greater stress was related to lower parent competence (see Figure 1, b path). Interestingly, the models revealed a full mediation for fathers, but a partial mediation for mothers (see Figure 1, direct effect). Overall, results indicate that one’s capacity for positive parenting behavior is influenced by sleep and stress regulation.
After sensitivity coding is completed, additional structural equation models will be utilized to assess the parent insomnia, stress, and sensitivity mediation model. Sample size will also be larger by spring (~150). We expect the results to reveal significant mediation pathways for both mother and father models, such that insomnia is related to greater stress and therefore lower parent sensitivity. Future longitudinal research should address the long term implications of parent sleep, stress, and sensitivity on parent-infant attachment dynamics and infant developmental outcomes. Parent interventions targeting sleep and stress may better support parenting, and subsequently improve parent-child relationships and lead to positive developmental outcomes.

Authors

• Molly ONeill, University of Notre Dame
  Presenting Author

• Julie Braungart-Rieker, University of Notre Dame
  Non-Presenting Author