Citation

de Jong DM, Cremone A, Kurdziel LB, Desrochers P, LeBourgeois MK, Sayer A, Ertel K, Spencer RM. J. Pediatr. Psychol. 2016; 41(9): 961-970.

Affiliation

Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Neuroscience & Behavior Program, University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, Oxford University Press)

DOI

10.1093/jpepsy/jsw006

PMID

26994853

Abstract

OBJECTIVE : Sleep health is critical for children to adapt to evolving cognitive-socioemotional contexts. Given that sleep timing in early childhood is instituted under caregiver control, the family context likely has an influential role on children's sleep. This study investigated links between maternal depressive symptoms and variability in children's sleep, and whether household income moderated this relation.  METHOD : 90 children (Mage = 53 ± 9 months) wore actigraphs to objectively measure sleep for 4-16 days. Mothers reported income and depressive symptomatology.

RESULTS : Higher maternal depressive symptoms were related to greater variability in 24-hr sleep duration. Income moderated this relation. Lower income, but not maternal depressive symptoms, was linked to greater variability in sleep onset time.  CONCLUSIONS : Findings demonstrate important relations between maternal depressive symptoms, income, and children's sleep. Understanding distal and proximal family characteristics that may be related to children's developing sleep schedules could help identify populations and strategies for promoting optimal sleep health.

© The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Pediatric Psychology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Language: en