Infant Temperament, Parental Depression and Sleep in Healthy Children and Children Born with Congenital Anomalies

Abstract

Poor sleep quality represents a concern commonly reported by parents during the first year of life and is longitudinally related to problems with children's cognitive, emotional, and behavioural development. According to research, several intrinsic and extrinsic factors intervene in helping or hindering sleep quality during early childhood. In particular, the relationship between parental mental health, infants’ temperament, their at-risk health conditions, and sleep quality has not been investigated yet, especially in the Italian population. 100 Italian heterosexual couples, with infants aged from 8 to 12 months were involved in this study and completed self-report questionnaires: the Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaire (BISQ), the Italian Temperament Questionnaires (QUIT - version 0-12 months), the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). 58 couples had healthy children and were recruited from kindergartens located in Rome, Italy. 42 couples had children born with congenital anomalies requiring surgery at birth and were recruited at Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, Rome, Italy. Results highlighted similar sleep outcomes between clinical and healthy children. Furthermore, they showed that children’s insomnia symptoms resulted associated with children’s temperamental negative emotionality, parental postpartum depression symptoms, and constant bedtime routines in both groups. In conclusion, this study can raise awareness and enhance understanding of risk and protective factors for infants’ sleep, among families, education practitioners, healthcare providers, and the general public.

Keywords

• sleep
• bedtime routines
• temperament
• postpartum depression
• congenital anomalies.