Parenting and maternal reported child sleep problems in infancy predict school-age aggression and inattention

AbstractChild sleep disorders are increasingly prevalent and understanding early predictors of sleep problems, starting in utero, may meaningfully guide future prevention efforts. Here, we investigated whether prenatal exposure to maternal psychological stress is associated with increased sleep problems in toddlers. We also examined whether fetal brain connectivity has direct or indirect influence on this putative association. Pregnant women underwent fetal resting-state functional connectivity MRI and completed questionnaires on stress, worry, and negative affect. At 3-year follow-up, 64 mothers reported on child sleep problems, and in the subset that have reached 5-year follow-up, actigraphy data (N = 25) has also been obtained. We observe that higher maternal prenatal stress is associated with increased toddler sleep concerns, with actigraphy sleep metrics, and with decreased fetal cerebellar-insular connectivity. Specific mediating effects were not identified for the fetal brain regions examined. The search for underlying mechanisms of the link between maternal prenatal stress and child sleep problems should be continued and extended to other brain areas.

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Sleep habits and sleep problems associated with depressive symptoms in school‐age children

Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing ◽

10.1111/jcap.12358 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jesús Moo‐Estrella ◽

Gloria Arankowsky‐Sandoval ◽

Matilde Valencia‐Flores

Keyword(s):

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Sleep Problems ◽

School Age Children ◽

School Age ◽

Sleep Habits

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Early parent–child relationships and child sleep at school age

Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology ◽

10.1016/j.appdev.2019.101057 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 64 ◽

pp. 101057

Author(s):

Catherine Cimon-Paquet ◽

Émilie Tétreault ◽

Annie Bernier

Keyword(s):

School Age ◽

Child Sleep ◽

Early Parent ◽

Parent Child Relationships ◽

Parent Child

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0946 Parent-Perceived Sleep Problems Associated with Common Medical Issues During Infancy

SLEEP ◽

10.1093/sleep/zsaa056.942 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 43 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. A359-A360

Author(s):

J A Mindell ◽

E S Leichman ◽

A A Williamson ◽

R A Gould ◽

H Hiscock ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Medical Care ◽

Sleep Problem ◽

Sleep Problems ◽

Primary Care Providers ◽

Care Providers ◽

Care Needs ◽

Medical Problems ◽

Child Sleep ◽

Medical Issues ◽

Ear Infections

Abstract Introduction Sleep problems are highly prevalent during infancy. However, little research has been conducted on associations between these sleep issues and common medical concerns in early development. Thus, the purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of parent-perceived sleep problems in infants with common medical problems. Methods Participants were 5,097 children from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children—Birth Cohort. Caregiver-reported child sleep problems and medical concerns were assessed at ages 0-1 year. Chi-square analyses were used to examine associations between the presence of a parent-perceived sleep problem and medical concerns. Results Wheezing (29.6%), eczema (14.9%), and food/digestive allergies (5.0%) were the most commonly identified medical concerns. In addition, 17.1% of caregivers reported a moderate/severe child sleep problem. Infants who had a moderate to severe parent-identified sleep problem experienced higher rates of overall medical care/needs, wheezing, eczema, food/digestive allergies (p<.001), ear infections (p<.05), and other illnesses (p<.01) than those infants without a sleep problem. No differences were observed with regard to hearing problems, vision problems, developmental delay, diarrhea/colitis, anemia, or other (non-ear) infections. Furthermore, parents reported higher rates of sleep problems for infants with medical problems (20.0-37.5%) than for infants without medical problems (16-17%), especially related to needing medical care (sleep problems = 27%), food/digestive allergies (27%), eczema (23%), and wheezing (20%), p=.001. Conclusion Overall, common medical issues during infancy, including food/digestive allergies, eczema, and wheezing, are associated with greater parent-endorsed child sleep problems. Primary care providers should assess for and address sleep problems when treating common medical concerns during infancy. Support This project was partially supported by Johnson and Johnson Consumer Health (JAM, ESL, and RAG) and NIH K23HD094905 (AAW).

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Child Sleep Problems and Parental Depression: Testing a Risk and Resistance Model

Journal of Child and Family Studies ◽

10.1007/s10826-011-9558-9 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 21 (6) ◽

pp. 982-991 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Kirsty M. Moore ◽

Jocelynne E. Gordon ◽

Louise A. McLean

Keyword(s):

Sleep Problems ◽

Parental Depression ◽

Child Sleep ◽

Resistance Model

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Odds, prevalence and predictors of sleep problems in school-age normal children

Journal of Sleep Research ◽

10.1111/j.1365-2869.2005.00458.x ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 14 (2) ◽

pp. 163-176 ◽

Cited By ~ 103

Author(s):

KAREN SPRUYT ◽

LOUISE M. O'BRIEN ◽

RAYMOND CLUYDTS ◽

GINO BENJAMIN VERLEYE ◽

RAFFAELE FERRI

Keyword(s):

Sleep Problems ◽

School Age ◽

Normal Children

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Bidirectional Associations Between Maternal Mental Health and Child Sleep Problems in Children With ADHD: A Longitudinal Study

Journal of Attention Disorders ◽

10.1177/1087054720923083 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 25 (11) ◽

pp. 1603-1604

Author(s):

Christina A. Martin ◽

Melissa Mulraney ◽

Nicole Papadopoulos ◽

Nicole J. Rinehart ◽

Emma Sciberras

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Sleep Problems ◽

Maternal Mental Health ◽

Externalizing Disorders ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Sleep Habits ◽

Children With Adhd ◽

Child Sleep ◽

Mental Health Difficulties ◽

Over Time

Background: Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) experience more sleep problems than their typically developing peers. In addition, their parents experience higher rates of mental health difficulties relative to parents of children without ADHD. Cross-sectional studies have reported associations; however, longitudinal studies have not yet been conducted. This study aimed to investigate potential bidirectional relationships between sleep problems in children with ADHD and maternal mental health difficulties (i.e. overall mental health, depression, anxiety, stress) over a 12-month period. Methods: Female caregivers of 379 children with ADHD (5–13 years) reported on their child’s sleep (Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire) and their own mental health (Depression Anxiety Stress Scale) at three time points over a 12-month period (baseline, 6-months, and 12-months). Autoregressive cross-lagged panel analyses were used to analyze the data, controlling for child age, child sex, ADHD symptom severity, ADHD medication use, comorbidities (autism spectrum disorder, internalizing disorders, and externalizing disorders), caregiver age, and socioeconomic disadvantage. Results: Child sleep problems and maternal mental health difficulties were highly stable across the 12-month period. In addition, longitudinal relationships were evident, with child sleep problems at 6-months predicting both overall maternal mental health difficulties and maternal anxiety at 12-months. However, child sleep problems at 6-months did not predict maternal depression or maternal stress at 12-months. There was little evidence that maternal mental health difficulties predicted child sleep problems over the 12-month period. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that despite the stability in child sleep problems and maternal mental health difficulties over time, sleep problems in children with ADHD contribute to later maternal mental health difficulties. This suggests that sleep interventions to improve child sleep may lead to an improvement in maternal mental health over time. It also suggests a need to be aware of the potential mental health difficulties being experienced by mothers who have children with sleep problems.

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