In a study conducted by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare and the University of Helsinki, parents assessed different types of sleep problems in infants: problems associated with total sleep, the number of night awakenings, problems falling asleep and sleep-association disturbances, which refer to difficulties in resettling and falling asleep without parental help after waking up. Prior research on the link between parent–child bond and sleep is scarce, and non-existent in the case of fathers.
Problems experienced by mothers in bonding with their eight-month-old babies manifested in the latter as increased total sleep problems as well as difficulty in falling asleep at that age. At the age of two, these problems were compounded by night awakenings and sleep-association disturbances. Results persisted when controlling for several variables affecting infant sleep, including parental age, depressive symptoms, education and health problems as well as breastfeeding, gender, age and number of siblings for the child.
A somewhat surprising find was the lack of connection between paternal bonding problems and infant sleep problems. The depressive symptoms of both the mother and father increased risk of child's sleep problems. Maternal depressive symptoms were related to infant sleep both directly and indirectly through bonding problems.
Support for mother–child interaction alleviates infant sleep problems in some families
"The results emphasise the importance of identifying challenges in the affectional bond between mother and infant as early as possible, even before birth. Support aimed at strengthening the bond should be provided particularly when the mother has depressive symptoms and difficulties in establishing such a bond. Infant sleep problems should also be actively addressed, taking into account perspectives related to interaction," says University Lecturer Erja Rusanen, PhD in Education, the study's corresponding author from the University of Helsinki.
"Supporting parent–infant bonding through interventions or psychotherapy is important, as bonding problems and infant sleep problems likely have a mutually amplifying effect. At their worst, they can lead to a vicious circle that negatively affects family life."
Mothers, fathers and children observed for over two years
The study was carried out in central Finland by collecting data from parents at four different times: during the last trimester of pregnancy and when their child was three, eight and 24 months of age. Both parents completed nearly identical questionnaires. The study's outcome variables (infant sleep problems) were measured at the eight- and 24-month timepoints, the explanatory variables (parental bonding problems) at the eight-month timepoint. The control variables were measured at all four timepoints.
Compared to similar studies, this one had a significant number of participating parents: 1,299 mothers and 1,211 fathers responded to the bonding questionnaire, while 1,301 parents assessed infant sleep problems at the age of eight months and 950 at the age of 24 months.
The study is part of the CHILD-SLEEP project carried out collaboratively by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, the Wellbeing Services County of Pirkanmaa, the University of Helsinki, Tampere University and the University of Eastern Finland.
Research article: E. Rusanen, M. Flykt A. Kylliäinen, O. Saarenpää-Heikkilä, E.J. Paavonen:
Are maternal and paternal bonding problems associated with child sleep problems at 8 and 24 months? Infant Behavior and Development
