Infant sleep disturbance is associated with preconceptional psychological distress: findings from the Southampton Women's Survey.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether preconceptional psychological distress is associated with infant sleep disturbance.


METHODS
Prospective cohort study.


METHODS
Southampton, UK.


METHODS
A cohort of women from the Southampton Women's Survey (SWS), who were recruited between 20-34 years of age and followed through their subsequent pregnancies and beyond; a total of 874 mother-infant pairs were involved in the study.


RESULTS
Preconceptional psychological distress was measured with the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). When their infants were 6 and 12 months of age, mothers were asked to report the number of times babies woke on average between the hours of midnight and 06:00 each night during a 2-week period. Preconceptional psychological distress was a strong predictor of infant night waking at both 6 and 12 months of age, independent of the effects of postnatal depression, bedroom sharing, and other confounding factors. At 6 months, preconceptional distress was associated with a 23% increased risk of waking (prevalence ratio [PR] 1.23, 95% CI 1.06-1.44), and at 12 months with a 22% increased risk (PR 1.22, 95% confidence intervals [CI] 1.02-1.46).


CONCLUSIONS
Women with preconceptional psychological distress are more likely to have babies with sleep disturbance during infancy, independent of whether they suffered from postnatal depression.
MRC Epidemiology Resource Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK. jb@mrc.soton.ac.uk
Janis
J
Baird
Catherine M
CM
Hill
Tony
T
Kendrick
Hazel M
HM
Inskip
D001007:Anxiety / Q000150:complications; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000150:complications; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D010555:Personality Inventory; D016742:Preconception Care; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000523:psychology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D020919:Sleep Disorders, Intrinsic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D012931:Social Environment; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications*; D014851:Wakefulness