Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 6, 2026

Using a Murine Model of Psychosocial Stress in Pregnancy as a Translationally Relevant Paradigm for Psychiatric Disorders in Mothers and Infants
Published on: June 13, 2021
Maternal separation anxiety as a regulator of infants' sleep
1Faculty of Education, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel. anats@construct.haifa.ac.il
Background:
The regulation of infants' sleep is determined not only by biological factors but by relational aspects too. This study focused on maternal separation anxiety and examined its association with sleep-wake regulation at 10 months of age.
Method:
In a community sample comprising 52 infants and their mothers, sleep was measured objectively with an activity monitor, as well as through questionnaires. The mothers reported on their own separation anxiety and on the child's perceived distress.
Results:
The main finding was that maternal separation anxiety was linked to settling to sleep routines and to night-waking. The contribution of the mothers' own separation anxiety to their infants' night-waking remained significant after controlling for the child's fussiness.
Conclusions:
Consistent with the transactional perspective, the current research documented an interplay between maternal separation anxiety and aspects of the child's sleep-wake transitions.
Related Concept Videos
Attachment
Piaget's Stage 1 of Cognitive Development
Exploration...
Theory of Romantic Attachment in Adulthood
Socioemotional Development during Infancy
Primary Temperament Types
Stella Chess...
Relationship with Parents: Attachment
Hazan and Shaver's Attachment Styles

