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Published on: August 8, 2019
Associations between parental shift work and children's sleep behavior in a sample of health care workers
Judith Dechantsreiter1, Angelika Schlarb2, Stephan Goerigk3
1Department of Neonatology, University of Tuebingen, Germany.
Insights
Shift work by parents did not significantly impact children's sleep duration or quality. However, job satisfaction and parental sleep quality may influence child parasomnia in shift-working families.
Area of Science:
- Sleep research
- Family studies
- Occupational health
Background:
- Shift work is common among parents and may affect family life.
- Understanding the impact of parental shift work on children's sleep is crucial for family well-being.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify family and work factors related to children's sleep in shift-working parents.
- To explore influences on the relationship between parental shift work and children's sleep behavior.
Main Methods:
- Nationwide online survey of working parents.
- Collected parent-reported data on demographics, work patterns, and sleep habits (children and parents).
- Utilized Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index.
Main Results:
- 770 parents participated; 65% had at least one shift-working parent.
- No substantial differences in child sleep duration or quality were found across shift work groups.
- Job satisfaction and parental sleep quality potentially moderated the link between child parasomnia and shift work.
Conclusions:
- Parent-reported child sleep parameters generally did not differ between shift-working and non-shift-working families.
- A weak association was noted for parasomnia, with a limited effect size.
- Future research should examine work schedules' role in supporting family sleep health, particularly for shift-working households.
Objectives:
To identify family- and work-related factors of shift-working parents associated with various aspects of children's sleep behavior. Additionally, the study aimed to explore further potential influences on the relationship between shift work and children's sleep.
Methods:
Data were collected in working parents using a nationwide online survey. The survey relied on parent-reported information about their youngest child addressing the following domains: demographics, working patterns, children's and parents' sleep habits, duration and bedtime routines. Standardized instruments included the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index-score.
Results:
A total of 770 parents participated. 627 (82 %) were female; mean age 37.7 ± 1.2 years. Families had on average 1.8 children (mean child age 7.9 years; youngest child 5.7 years). In 503 (65 %) families at least one parent worked in shifts and in 160 (21 %) families both parents were shift-workers. Overall, no substantial differences were found in parent-reported child-sleep duration, or general sleep quality across shift work groups. Exploratory analyses suggested a moderating effect of job satisfaction and parental sleep quality on the association between child parasomnia and shift work.
Conclusions:
In this cross-sectional study, most aspects of children's sleep parameters did not differ between families with or without shift work, based on parent-reported measures. While a weak statistical association was observed between parasomnia scores, the effect size was limited. Future research should consider the role of work schedules in supporting family sleep health, especially in shift-working households.
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