title: The joy of parenting: infant sleep intervention to improve maternal emotional well-being and infant sleep.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study aimed to examine how improving infant sleep impacted the emotional well-being of mothers.
  
  
  METHODS
  The participants were 80 mothers of infants aged 6-12 months; they attended a primary care medical clinic in Adelaide, Australia, for assistance with infant sleep problems. Behavioural intervention consisted of a 45-minute consultation, where verbal and written information describing sleep physiology and strategies to improve infant sleep was provided. Mothers were followed up 2-6 weeks later. Mothers rated their confidence (C), pleasure (P) and frustration (F) on a scale from 0 to 10, and completed the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 21 at each consultation. The number of night-time awakenings and time taken to see an improvement in infant sleep were also reported.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a significant increase in the C and P scores, and a significant decrease in the F scores (all p < 0.001). The mean total CPF score increased significantly from 14 to 25 (maximum score = 30). There was also a significant decrease in depression, anxiety and stress in the mothers (all p < 0.001). The mean number of maximum night awakenings also decreased significantly, from 4.9 to 0.5 (p < 0.001). The mean time taken to see improved infant sleep, as reported by the mothers, was 2.8 nights.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A single consultation using a behavioural strategy to improve infant sleep was effective in improving infant sleep and in increasing maternal emotional well-being. In particular, the scores for 'pleasure in being a mother' increased dramatically.
authors.affiliation: University of Adelaide, Kensington Park, Australia.|Kensington Park Medical Practice, Kensington Park, Australia.
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Symon
authors.affiliation: Kensington Park Medical Practice, Kensington Park, Australia.|Alliance for Research in Exercise, Nutrition and Activity (ARENA), Sansom Institute for Health Research, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia.
authors.forename: Georgina E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Crichton
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001315:Australia; D019052:Depression, Postpartum / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007224:Infant Care / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000517:prevention & control*
keywords: behaviour modification; infant sleep; maternal well-being; postnatal depression