Association between Maternal Depression and Sleep Disorders in Toddlers: A Case Report
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51338/rppsm.488Keywords:
Child Development, Depression, Infant, Maternal Behavior, Mother-Child Relations, Sleep Wake DisordersAbstract
Poor sleep quality in childhood can lead to socio-emotional and academic problems. In early childhood, sleep is mostly influenced by environmental factors, such as the mother’s mental health. The aim of this case report is to expand the body of knowledge surrounding the association between sleep disturbances in toddlers and maternal depression. An 18-month-old child was referred to a Child Psychiatry consultation due to multiple nocturnal awakening almost every night since he was 3 months old. The mother reports depressive symptoms. It was concluded that the child met criteria for night awakening disorder. The treatment plan included sessions to promote parenting skills and the use of prolonged-release melatonin. The literature shows that maternal depressive symptoms are related to difficulties in initiating and maintaining sleep in young children, and it is important to diagnose and treat this symptomatology to mitigate its impact on these children’s sleep.Downloads
References
Mindell JA, Kuhn B, Lewin DS, Meltzer LJ, Sadeh A. Behavioral treatment of bedtime problems and night wakings in infants and young children − An American Academy of Sleep Medicine review. Sleep. 2006;29:1263-76.
Hysing M, Sivertsen B, Garthus-Niegel S, Eberhard-Gran M. Pediatric sleep problems and social-emotional problems. A population-based study. Infant Behav Dev. 2016;42:111-8. doi: 10.1016/j. infbeh.2015.12.005.
Fisher A, van Jaarsveld CH, Llewellyn CH, Wardle J. Genetic and environmental influences on infant sleep. Pediatrics. 2012;129:1091-6. doi: 10.1542/peds.2011-1571.
Teti DM, Crosby B. Maternal depressive symptoms, dysfunctional cognitions, and infant night waking: The role of maternal nighttime behavior. Child Dev. 2012;83:939-53. doi: 10.1111/j.146 7-8624.2012.01760.
Petzoldt J, Wittchen HU, Einsle F, Martini J. Maternal anxiety versus depressive disorders: specific relations to infants’ crying, feeding and sleeping problems. Child Care Health Dev. 2016;42:231-45. doi: 10.1111/ cch.12292.
Olsen AL, Ammitzbøll J, Olsen EM, Skovgaard AM. Problems of feeding, sleeping and excessive crying in infancy: a general population study. Arch Dis Child. 2019;104:1034-41. doi: 10.1136/ archdischild-2019-316851.
Netsi E, van IJzendoorn MH, Bakermans-Kranenburg MJ, Wulff K, Jansen PW, Jaddoe VW, et al. Does infant reactivity moderate the association between antenatal maternal depression and infant sleep? J Dev Behav Pediatr. 2015;36:440-9. doi: 10.1097/ DBP.0000000000000181.
Covington LB, Armstrong B, Black MM. Perceived toddler sleep problems, co-sleeping, and maternal sleep and mental health. J Dev Behav Pediatr. 2018;39:238-45. doi: 10.1097/DBP.0000000000000535.
Bates RA, Singletary B, Dynia JM, Justice LM. Maternal mental health symptoms and clusters predict toddler sleep in low-income homes. J Genet Psychol. 2021;182:252-68. doi: 10.1080/00221325.2021.1910125.
Covington LB, Rogers VE, Armstrong B, Storr CL, Black MM. Toddler bedtime routines and associations with nighttime sleep duration and maternal and household factors. J Clin Sleep Med. 2019;15:865-71. doi: 10.5664/jcsm.7838.
Meltzer LJ, Mindell, JA. Relationship between child sleep disturbances and maternal sleep, mood, and parenting stress: a pilot study. J Fam Psychol. 2007;21:67-73. doi: 10.1037/0893-3200.21.1.67.
Hall WA, Moynihan M, Bhagat R, Wooldridge J. Relationships between parental sleep quality, fatigue, cognitions about infant sleep, and parental depression pre and post-intervention for infant behavioral sleep problems. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2017;17:104. doi: 10.1186/s12884-017-1284-x.
Williamson AA, Mindell JA. Cumulative socio-demographic risk factors and sleep outcomes in early childhood. Sleep. 2020;43:zsz233. doi: 10.1093/sleep/ zsz233.
Ystrom H, Nilsen W, Hysing M, Sivertsen B, Ystrom E. Sleep problems in preschoolers and maternal depressive symptoms: An evaluation of mother and child-driven effects. Dev Psychol. 2017;53:2261-72. doi: 10.1037/dev0000402.
