Mothers\u27 Sleep Deficits and Cognitive Performance: Moderation by Stress and Age

There are well-known associations between stress, poor sleep, and cognitive deficits, but little is known about their interactive effects, which the present study explored in a sample of mothers of toddlers. Since certain types of cognitive decline start during the 20s and continue into later ages, we also explored whether mothers\u27 age interacted with stress and sleep in the prediction of cognitive functioning. We hypothesized that poorer sleep [measured using one week of 24-hour wrist actigraphy data] and having more chronic stressors [e.g., life events, household chaos, work/family role conflict] would be linked with poorer cognitive performance [both executive function and standardized cognitive ability tasks], and that the interactive combination of poorer sleep and more stressors would account for the effect. We also explored whether this process operated differently for younger versus older women. In a socioeconomically and geographically diverse community sample of 227 women with toddler-age children [age, M = 32.73 yrs, SD = 5.15 yrs], poorer cognitive performance was predicted by greater activity during the sleep period, shorter sleep duration, and lower night-to-night consistency in sleep; it was not associated with higher levels of stress. The interactive effects hypothesis was supported for sleep activity [fragmented sleep] and sleep timing [when mothers went to bed]. The combination of more exposure to stressors and frequent night waking was particularly deleterious for older women\u27s performance. For younger women, going to bed late was associated with poorer performance if they were experiencing high levels of stress; for those experiencing low levels of stress, going to bed late was associated with better performance

Maternal stress, sleep, and parenting

Associations between stress, sleep, and functioning have been well-established in the general adult population, but not as well-established in the specific subpopulation of interest here-parents. To advance understanding of how maternal sleep is linked with both mothers\u27 experiences of stress and their parenting, this study used actigraphic and mother-report measures of sleep, observed and mother reports of parenting, and measures of multiple stressors of relevance. In a community sample of mothers of toddlers (N = 314; child age M = 2.60, SD = 0.07 years), maternal stress was indexed with a cumulative risk score that combined sociodemographic risks and common parent stressors, including household chaos, role overload, parenting hassles, child misbehavior, negative life events, and lack of social support. We found that mothers who experienced shorter, later, and more variable sleep experienced higher levels of stress as indexed by the cumulative risk index. In addition, those with higher stress required longer to fall asleep and perceived more sleep problems. We also found that actigraphic measures of poor and insufficient maternal sleep were associated with less observed positive parenting, even when controlling for the cumulative risk index and maternal age, employment, and family size. Mothers who required longer to fall asleep also reported more dysfunctional parenting, with the same statistical controls. The findings, coupled with research showing that sleep is amenable to intervention, suggest that parental sleep may ultimately prove to be a useful intervention target for promoting positive parent involvement and responsiveness

Screen use before bedtime: Consequences for nighttime sleep in young children

There is increasing interest in the relation between screen use and sleep problems in early childhood. In a sample of 30-month-old children, this study used observational measures of screen use during the hour or so leading up to bedtime, parent reports of screen use during the child\u27s bedtime routine, and actigraphic measures of toddler sleep to complement parent-reported sleep problems. Whether screen use was observed during the pre-bedtime period or was reported by the parents as part of the nightly bedtime routine, greater screen use in either context was associated with more parent-reported sleep problems. Additionally, more frequent parent-reported screen use during the bedtime routine was also associated with actigraphic measures of later sleep, shorter sleep, and more night-to-night variability in duration and timing of sleep. These associations suggest the negative consequences of screen use for children\u27s sleep extend both to aspects of sleep reported by parents (e.g., bedtime resistance, signaled awakenings) and to aspects measured by actigraphy (e.g., shorter and more variable sleep)

A 1-year longitudinal study of the stress, sleep, and parenting of mothers of toddlers

OBJECTIVES: The present study, building on cross-sectional research showing links between mothers’ sleep, stress, and parenting, used a longitudinal design to consider 1) the temporal direction of links between mothers’ sleep and stress, 2) whether mother sleep deficits predict change in parenting across time, and 3) whether mother sleep deficits mediate the inverse association between stress and positive parenting. DESIGN: The study used repeated measures of stress, mother sleep, and positive parenting at toddler ages 30, 36, and 42 months. SETTING: Data were collected at two sites, one in the Midwest and one in the East. PARTICIPANTS: 413 mother-toddler pairs were followed. Mothers were mostly married, college educated, and middle class, but there was also considerable variability between families. MEASUREMENTS: Stress was measured via parenting hassles, CHAOS, and role overload scales. Mother sleep was measured via actigraphy. Positive parenting was observed during the bedtime routine and rated using the HOME scale and other items. RESULTS: Mother stress and sleep were inextricably linked across toddlerhood, and worse sleep was predictive of less observed positive parenting, even when controlling for prior levels of stress and parenting. CONCLUSIONS: Improving mothers’ sleep may be important in efforts to improve their parenting

Measuring sleep in young children and their mothers: Identifying actigraphic sleep composites

The present study considered multiple aspects of sleep in a community sample of young children (at ages 30, 36, and 42 months) and their mothers, using both diaries and actigraphy. Through principal components analysis, 17 of 20 commonly used actigraphy variables were reduced to four main components whose variables formed composites of: Activity, night-to-night Variability, Timing, and Duration. Sleep latency and daytime sleep variables remained separate from the composites. The same components were identified at each age, and for both children and mothers. Furthermore, the sleep composites derived from the components showed greater cross-age stability than individual actigraphy variables. Finally, child and mother sleep composites were related concurrently and longitudinally. These findings demonstrate a systematic and efficient way of summarizing child and mother sleep with actigraphy variables

Mothers' sleep deficits and cognitive performance: Moderation by stress and age.

There are well-known associations between stress, poor sleep, and cognitive deficits, but little is known about their interactive effects, which the present study explored in a sample of mothers of toddlers. Since certain types of cognitive decline start during the 20s and continue into later ages, we also explored whether mothers' age interacted with stress and sleep in the prediction of cognitive functioning. We hypothesized that poorer sleep [measured using one week of 24-hour wrist actigraphy data] and having more chronic stressors [e.g., life events, household chaos, work/family role conflict] would be linked with poorer cognitive performance [both executive function and standardized cognitive ability tasks], and that the interactive combination of poorer sleep and more stressors would account for the effect. We also explored whether this process operated differently for younger versus older women. In a socioeconomically and geographically diverse community sample of 227 women with toddler-age children [age, M = 32.73 yrs, SD = 5.15 yrs], poorer cognitive performance was predicted by greater activity during the sleep period, shorter sleep duration, and lower night-to-night consistency in sleep; it was not associated with higher levels of stress. The interactive effects hypothesis was supported for sleep activity [fragmented sleep] and sleep timing [when mothers went to bed]. The combination of more exposure to stressors and frequent night waking was particularly deleterious for older women's performance. For younger women, going to bed late was associated with poorer performance if they were experiencing high levels of stress; for those experiencing low levels of stress, going to bed late was associated with better performance

Sustained attention across toddlerhood: The roles of language and sleep

The present study examined individual differences in the development of sustained attention across toddlerhood, as well as how these individual differences related to the development of language and sleep. Toddlers (N = 314; 54% male) were assessed at 30, 36, and 42 months using multiple measures of attention, a standardized language assessment, and actigraphic measures of sleep. Toddlers were 80% White. Family socioeconomic status (SES) was calculated using the Hollingshead Four Factor Index and ranged from 13 to 66 (M = 47.59, SD = 14.13). Aims were (a) to examine associations between measures of attention across situations, informants, and time; (b) to consider the independent and interactive effects of language and sleep on attention; and (c) to test potential bidirectional associations between sleep and attention. Findings showed attention measures were stable across time but were only weakly linked with each other at 42 months. Attention was consistently linked with language. More variable sleep and longer naps were associated with less growth in sustained attention across time. Nighttime sleep duration interacted with language in that sleep duration was positively associated with attention scores among toddlers with less advanced language, even when SES was controlled. The findings describe an understudied aspect of how sustained attention develops, involving the main effect of consistent sleep schedules and the interaction effect of amount of sleep and child language development. These findings are relevant to understanding early childhood risk for developing attention problems and to exploring a potential prevention target in family sleep practices. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved

Sleep and Negative Affect Across Toddlerhood in the Context of Stress

Negative affect is associated with both high stress and poor sleep, but questions remain about the direction of these associations across time and interactions between stress and sleep, especially in early childhood. The present study examined sleep deficits, family stress, and observed negative affect in a sample of toddlers at 30, 36, and 42 months (N = 504). Negative affect was observed during a parent–child free play task. Sleep was measured via actigraphy. Stress was measured using a cumulative risk index of socioeconomic status, single parent status, household chaos, role overload, parenting hassles, social support, and stressful events. Findings showed few associations between sleep and negative affect, except for toddlers experiencing high levels of family stress. Toddlers experiencing both high stress and poor sleep demonstrated the highest levels of negative affect in the lab at 30 months. Adequate sleep may serve as a protective factor for children in high-stress families