A brief sleep focused psychoeducation program for sleep-related outcomes in new mothers: a randomized controlled...

Poor sleep is commonly problematic during pregnancy and postpartum and is associated with depression. This trial investigated the efficacy of prenatal brief, group sleep psychoeducation in improving postpartum maternal sleep, and depression.

A total of 215 healthy expectant first-time mothers were cluster randomized (1:1) to receive either a 2 × 1.5 h psychoeducation intervention and a set of booklets, or a set of booklets only. Participants completed questionnaires during pregnancy (pre-intervention), and 6 weeks and 4 months postpartum. A post hoc subset of questionnaires was collected at 10 months postpartum. The primary hypothesis was the intervention group would have improved postpartum sleep quality, and reduced levels of insomnia symptoms, fatigue, and daytime sleepiness compared to the control group. Secondary outcomes included depression, anxiety, and stress.

Linear mixed model analyses failed to confirm a group by time interaction on primary or secondary outcomes across all time points. There was no effect of the intervention on outcomes at 6 weeks, or 10 months postpartum. A significant time by group interaction was found at 4 months, favoring the intervention for sleep quality (p = 0.03) and insomnia symptoms (p = 0.03), but not fatigue or daytime sleepiness.

Prenatal sleep psychoeducation did not produce a sustained effect on maternal sleep throughout the postpartum period. There was little evidence of benefits on depressive symptoms.

ACTRN12611000859987.