ERIC Number: EJ1389549
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023-Sep
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0012-1649
EISSN: EISSN-1939-0599
Available Date: N/A
A Longitudinal Study of Mother-Infant Objective and Reported Sleep in Solo-Mother and Two-Parent Families
Ben-Zion, Hamutal; Rabinovitch, Hagai; Ran-Peled, Dar; Finkelstein, Omer; Horwitz, Avel; Tikotzky, Liat
Developmental Psychology, v59 n9 p1608-1625 Sep 2023
This longitudinal study examined the development of mother-infant objective and reported sleep quality and duration in solo-mother families (i.e., mothers who decided to parent alone) in comparison to two-parent families. We recruited 134 solo mothers and 161 married mothers during pregnancy, most representing the middle to upper socioeconomic class in Israel. Assessments were conducted during pregnancy and at 4 and 8 months postpartum. Maternal and infant sleep were assessed with actigraphy and sleep diaries for 7 nights. Questionnaires were used to assess maternal insomnia symptoms, sleepiness, sleeping arrangements, and background variables. The comparison of sleep between solo-mother and two-parent families, at each assessment point, showed no differences in sleep duration, and only a few differences in sleep quality measures; these were partially explained by maternal age and breastfeeding. Nevertheless, solo mothers were more likely to share a bed with their infants. In both groups, trajectory analyses showed a decrease in maternal actigraphic and diary sleep quality measures from pregnancy to 4 months, followed by an increase from 4 to 8 months. However, maternal insomnia symptoms first declined, and then increased, and maternal sleep duration first lengthened and then shortened. Infant actigraphic and diary sleep quality increased in both groups from 4 to 8 months, whereas sleep duration decreased only in the "solo" group. In general, the findings suggest that objective and subjective sleep quality and sleep duration of solo-mother families, a growing yet unexplored family structure, do not seem to be significantly affected by the absence of a second parent.
Descriptors: Mothers, One Parent Family, Family Structure, Sleep, Infants, Marriage, Pregnancy, Foreign Countries, Individual Characteristics, Social Support Groups, Nutrition
American Psychological Association. Journals Department, 750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002. Tel: 800-374-2721; Tel: 202-336-5510; Fax: 202-336-5502; e-mail: order@apa.org; Web site: http://www.apa.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Israel
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Social Support Questionnaire
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A