Postpartum Maternal Sleep, Maternal Depressive Symptoms and Self-Perceived Mother-Infant Emotional Relationship

This study examined the links between maternal sleep, maternal depressive symptoms, and mothers' perceptions of their emotional relationship with their infant in a self-recruited sample of mothers. Eighty mothers of infants 3-18 months old completed sleep diaries for 5 consecutive nights, and questionnaires assessing sleep (Insomnia Severity Index [ISI]), depressive symptom severity (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale [EPDS]), and perceived mother-infant relationship (Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire [PBQ] and Maternal Postnatal Attachment Questionnaire [MPAQ]). Significant correlations, controlling for depression severity, were found between more disturbed maternal sleep and more negative maternal perceptions of the mother-infant relationship. Regression analyses revealed that EPDS showed the strongest association with PBQ, whereas ISI demonstrated the strongest association with MPAQ. The present study highlights the importance of deepening and expanding our understanding of the negative implications of maternal sleep problems.