Tuned in parenting and infant sleep patterns

Abstract

This paper focuses on infant sleep behaviour that is of concern to mothers of young infants, and disruptive to families. It reports on the incidence of sleep problems in dyads that self‐referred to a specialist clinic, and the relationship between the mother's sensitive responsiveness and infant sleep patterns in a sample of 65 Australian infants. It briefly considers an intervention programme tailored to the specific needs of the dyad where the problem is severe. The sample consisted of a clinical self‐referred group and a comparative group from the community. Self‐report scales assessed infant sleep pattern while the Child–Adult Relationship Experimental Index assessed maternal sensitivity. All referred infants met the cut‐off point for ‘sleep problems’, while only two of the community group met this criterion. Results demonstrated a clear association between maternal sensitivity and infant sleep disorder and are discussed along with limitations of the study.

Keywords:

• infancy
• sleep
• parent–child interaction
• maternal sensitivity

Notes

1. Bowlby (1969a) proposed that proposed that an infant builds up, on a day‐to‐day basis, internal representations known as internal working models of his/her interactions with caregivers.

2. A pattern of insecure attachment identified by Ainsworth et al. (1978) in which the infant maximises signals in order to that draw the attachment figure closer in times of need.

3. A semi‐structured interview designed to access the internal working models of the adult speaker with respect to attachment.

4. Derived from the Crittenden model of coding the Adult Attachment Interview (Crittenden, 2004), in which a classification of dismissing is given to a transcript that is not coherent, excessively brief, with generalised representations of history unsupported by the recounted episodes. Attachment figures tend to be idealised or exonerated and their influence on the speaker is minimised.