Are Maternal Adverse Childhood Experiences Associated with Their Preschool Children's Sleep Disruptions? Longitudinal...

Children of mothers exposed to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) may be at increased risk of sleep disruptions, such as night waking, due to potential suboptimal caregiving or living conditions. Mothers' ACEs are also associated with maternal depressive symptoms, which in turn are associated with children's screen time and sleep disruptions, revealing relevant, but unexplored, mediation pathways. This Canadian study investigated if mothers' ACEs were associated with their 5-year-old children's sleep disruptions (1) directly and (2) indirectly through independent or serial mediation via maternal depressive symptoms and/or children's screen time.

Data (n = 622; maternal mean age 32.3 years, 88.4% white) came from the longitudinal APrON Study. ACEs were measured 1 year postpartum. Mother's depressive symptoms were measured across prenatal and postnatal timepoints. Children's evening screen time (i.e., number of days in a week children engaged in one hour of screen time before bedtime) and sleep disruptions (number of days in a week their child wakes up multiple times) were measured at 5 years postpartum using adapted scales (52.9% male). PROCESS was used to assess for mediation.

Mothers' ACEs had an indirect effect on their children's sleep disruptions through mothers' mean depressive symptoms (effect = 0.018, 95% CI [0.006, 0.034]), but not through children's screen time. No other effects (i.e., direct, total) were observed.

Although replication studies are warranted, this novel study reveals that the effects of maternal ACEs on children's sleep disruptions may operate indirectly with effects potentiated through maternal depressive symptoms, thus serving as a target for intervention.