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Assisted conception, maternal personality and parenting: Associations with toddler sleep behaviour
Nikki Johnson1, Catherine McMahon, Frances Gibson
1Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health
|July 4, 2014
Summary
Maternal hardiness before birth impacts toddler sleep by influencing parental cognitions and bedtime involvement. Interventions targeting maternal perceptions may improve child sleep outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Maternal Health
- Sleep Science
Background:
- Child sleep behavior is influenced by various factors during the crucial second postnatal year.
- Maternal personality traits, such as hardiness, may play a role in shaping sleep environments.
- The mode of conception (spontaneous vs. assisted) has not been extensively studied in relation to maternal factors and child sleep.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of maternal hardiness, sleep-related cognitions, and bedtime involvement on child sleep behavior.
- To compare these factors between mothers of spontaneous and assisted conception.
- To understand the interplay of these variables in the second postnatal year.
Main Methods:
- 134 first-time mothers reported on hardiness during pregnancy and child sleep at 7 and 19 months postpartum.
- Mothers also reported on sleep cognitions and bedtime involvement at 19 months.
- Actigraph monitors validated maternal reports of child sleep in half the sample.
Main Results:
- No significant differences in study variables were found between spontaneous and assisted conception groups.
- Lower pre-birth maternal hardiness was linked to poorer sleep-related cognitions and bedtime involvement.
- Maternal hardiness predicted poorer child sleep outcomes in toddlerhood, independent of maternal mood and child temperament.
Conclusions:
- Pre-birth maternal hardiness is a significant predictor of toddler sleep outcomes, outweighing the mode of conception.
- Maternal cognitions and behaviors around bedtime are key mediators.
- Clinical interventions focusing on maternal perceptions of control and efficacy could enhance toddler sleep.
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