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Parental Involvement in Infant Sleep Routines Predicts Differential Sleep Patterns in Children With and Without

Jennifer Cowie1, Cara A Palmer2, Hira Hussain2

  • 1Department of Psychology, Sleep and Anxiety Center of Houston (SACH), University of Houston, 4811 Calhoun Road, #373, Houston, TX, 77204, USA. jmcowie@uh.edu.

Child Psychiatry and Human Development
|October 24, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Parents

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Child Psychiatry
  • Sleep Medicine

Background:

  • Infant sleep strategies can influence later child development.
  • Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in children is linked to various factors, including early life experiences.
  • Understanding the long-term impact of parenting on infant sleep is crucial for child mental health.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare infant settling strategies reported by parents of children with GAD versus healthy controls.
  • To examine the relationship between early parental involvement in sleep and current childhood sleep patterns.
  • To investigate differential effects of early sleep parenting on children with and without GAD.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective parental reports on infant settling strategies were collected.
  • Current sleep patterns were assessed using actigraphy in children aged 7-11.
  • Participants included children with GAD (N=84) and healthy controls.

Main Results:

  • Parents of children with GAD were more likely to use rocking and 'put-down asleep' strategies.
  • Early sleep involvement predicted childhood sleep patterns differently in GAD and control groups.
  • Early involvement was linked to poorer sleep in controls but better sleep in children with GAD.

Conclusions:

  • Early sleep-related parenting strategies have differential effects on children who develop GAD versus those who do not.
  • Findings suggest potential targets for early intervention in infant sleep practices for at-risk children.
  • Parenting during infancy may play a role in the developmental trajectory of anxiety disorders.

Keywords:
Child anxietyInfancyOver-involvementParentingSleep

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