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Examining Sleep and Mood in Parents of Children with Sleep Disturbances

Prerna Varma1, Russell Conduit1, Moira Junge2

  • 1School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia.

Nature and Science of Sleep
|November 6, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Children's sleep disturbances significantly impact parental sleep quality and mood. Addressing parental insomnia is crucial for improving family well-being.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Sleep Medicine
  • Parental Mental Health
  • Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Background:

  • Parental sleep and mood are critical for child development.
  • Children's sleep disturbances are common and can affect the entire family.
  • Understanding the interplay between child sleep issues and parental well-being is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between children's sleep disturbances and parental sleep/mood.
  • To assess the mediating role of children's sleep on the parent sleep-mood relationship.
  • To explore differences in parental sleep based on child's neurodevelopmental status and sleep problems.

Main Methods:

  • Surveyed 293 parents of children aged 2-12 years.
  • Utilized validated questionnaires for parental sleep (e.g., Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index) and mood (e.g., Profile of Mood States).
  • Assessed child sleep using the Child's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ).

Main Results:

  • Children's sleep disturbances explained 22% of the variance in parental sleep quality.
  • Child sleep issues partially mediated the relationship between parental sleep and mood.
  • Parents of children with significant sleep disturbances (CSHQ ≥41) reported poorer sleep and mood, but neurodevelopmental status did not significantly alter these findings.

Conclusions:

  • Parents of children with sleep disturbances experience insomnia symptoms, including poor sleep and high pre-sleep arousal.
  • Clinical interventions should consider and treat parental sleep problems.
  • Targeting parental sleep issues may improve overall family functioning.
Abstract

Keywords:
children sleepfamilymother's sleepparent sleepsleep quality

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