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PARENTAL REGULATION OF INFANT SLEEP: ROUND-THE-CLOCK EFFORTS FOR SOCIAL SYNCHRONIZATION

Anita Sundnes1, Agnes Andenaes1

  • 1University of Oslo.

Infant Mental Health Journal
|April 22, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Parental regulation of infant sleep involves continuous actions throughout the day, adapting to family life and cultural contexts. This study reveals five key regulatory behaviors shaping infant sleep patterns over the first 18 months.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Sociology
  • Pediatrics

Background:

  • Infant sleep development is influenced by family and sociocultural factors.
  • Limited understanding exists on how parental sleep regulation aligns with a family's specific life circumstances.
  • A comprehensive, context-sensitive approach is needed to study infant sleep regulation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate parental regulation of infant sleep within the full 24-hour cycle.
  • To explore parents' intentions and the influence of familial and sociocultural conditions on sleep regulation.
  • To describe the patterns, variations, and developmental changes in infant sleep regulation cycles.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal qualitative study in Norway involving 51 families.
  • Interviews conducted during infants' first year and again at approximately 18 months.
  • Interpretive analysis using cultural psychological perspectives.

Main Results:

  • Parents engage in five continuous regulatory actions: facilitating sleep, letting sleep, letting be awake, keeping awake, and waking.
  • These actions form a 'regulation cycle' that varies in extent and timing across families and hours.
  • Over time, regulation cycles showed increased social synchronization and were embedded within familial and sociocultural contexts.

Conclusions:

  • Parental sleep regulation is a dynamic, context-dependent process.
  • Understanding the 'regulation cycle' offers insights into infant sleep development.
  • Findings have implications for clinical practice supporting families with infant sleep challenges.

Keywords:
ErziehungSchlafSäuglingbébécontexte socialecontexto socialcrianzadormirinfantinfanteinvestigación cualitativaparentageparentingqualitative Forschungqualitative researchrecherche qualitativesleepsocial contextsommeilsozialer Kontext乳児嬰兒定性研究睡眠社会的文脈社會背景育児育兒質的研究

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