LAUSR

Inadequate parental sleep beliefs and practices have been associated with the development and maintenance of sleep difficulties in children. Disrupted sleep at a young age leads to adverse child outcomes and affects parents' sleep and family functioning. Our goal was to evaluate the effects of improved parental sleep beliefs and practices on child and parent sleep in the short term. Hence, we designed an innovative intervention for developing parenting skills in children's sleep management. 15 caregiver-child dyads with preschool-age children were recruited through daycare centers and placed in small groups for a two-hour intervention and a follow-up. Children's and parents' sleep were respectively measured using the Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Parental beliefs were assessed by three subscales (Setting Limits, Anger, Doubt) of the Maternal Cognitions about Infant Sleep Questionnaire (MCISQ). Parental practices were measured by two factors (Sleep Conflict, Sleep Dependence) of the Parent-Child Sleep Interactions Scale (PSIS). Data were collected before the intervention and two weeks later. Paired-sample t-tests were used to measure changes in each variable. Significant improvements were observed in scores on CSHQ subscales measuring Bedtime Resistance (t(14)=3.15, p=.004; M=11.3 vs M=9.47), Sleep Onset Delay (t(14)=3.21, p=.003; M=2.40 vs M=1.67), Parasomnias (t(14)=2.35, p=.017; M=10.9 vs M=9.87), and Daytime Sleepiness (t(14)=2.90, p=.006; M=13.0 vs M=11.3). Accordingly, total CSHQ scores were significantly lower (t(14)=4.70, p<.001; M= 55.7 vs M=49.5) reflecting less sleep disturbance in children. Parents' sleep was of superior quality, with global PSQI scores marginally decreased (t(14)=1.75, p=.051; M=6.93 vs M=6.20). Lower Sleep Conflict scores (t(14)=3.44, p=.002; M=7.67 vs M=4.8) and total PSIS scores (t(14)=3.59, p=.001; M=13.3 vs M=9.00) indicated better parental sleep practices. These preliminary results show that parental interventions on children’s sleep management can improve child sleep and parental sleep practices. These results also highlight that parental practices about their child’s sleep can change independently of their beliefs. Long-term measures will help verify the course of changes in parents' sleep and beliefs regarding their child’s sleep. This project was funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).