Infant sleep and temperament characteristics in association with maternal postpartum depression

Aim of this study was to examine the association between infant temperament and sleep characteristics and postpartum depressive symptoms among mothers.

Research data were collected at the baseline (2nd -4th days postpartum) and the follow-up (6-8 weeks postpartum), Slovak version of the (EPDS) was used, along with questions focused on perceived sleeping problems of an infant, and temperament Linear regression models were employed.

Two public hospital sites in Slovakia.

204 women participated in both time points (mean age 30.9 ± 4.8, age range: 20-44; 78.9% vaginal births; 56.9% primiparas).

Significant differences in the EPDS scores were found according to infant sleeping problems (p ≤ 0.05) and duration of infant night sleep (p ≤ 0.01). Both night sleep and day sleep duration were significant predictors for the level of postpartum depression symptoms at the 6-8 weeks follow-up in the linear regression model after adjusting for confounding variables (β= -0.13; 95%CI: -3.04;-0.01; β= -0.15; 95%CI: -3.02;-0.28, total explained variance 39.0%). Infant temperament characteristics have not been found significant predictors of postpartum depression symptoms in this study.

Significant differences in depression levels were found among postpartum women according to perceived sleeping problems of infant, and the duration of infant night sleep. It is important to focus more attention on the role of infant sleeping problems as a possible risk factor for the increased occurrence of postpartum depressive symptoms.