Parental stress and bedtime routines in toddlerhood
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Abstract
Objectives. Main purposes of our study were to explore: a) the relationship between paternal and maternal perceptions of their interactions with the child during bedtime routines; b) the possible relationship among context dimensions (social support, marital satisfaction, parenting stress and bedtime routines). We examined both parents’ subjective experience toward children's bedtime routines and their personal relationship with going to sleep.
Material and methods. 41 parents (34 % fathers) of toddlers 18 to 36 months old took part in this study. All parents completed Parent-Child Sleep Interaction Scale (PSIS; Alfano et al., 2013), Parent-Stress Index-Short Form (PSI-SF; Abidin, 1995), Social Provisions Scale (SPS; Cutrona and Russell, 1987), Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS-4; Sabourin et al., 2005) and ad-hoc semi-structured interview.
Results. Correlations outcome evidenced positive relationships between maternal PSIS global score and paternal PSI “Difficult Child” (r = .31 p = 0.05), maternal subscale PSIS, “Sleep Reinforcement” score and maternal PSI “Parental distress” (r = .38 p= 0.05) score, paternal PSIS “Sleep Conflict” and maternal PSI “Difficult Child” score (r = .47 p = 0.05), maternal PSIS “Sleep Conflict” score and PSI “Difficult Child” reported by both parents (mothers r = .40 p = 0.01; fathers r = .47, p = 0.05, respectively). Examining parent’s answers to the brief semi-structured interview, putting children to sleep is considered a positive and intimate moment (mothers = 80%; fathers = 46%) and children’s sleep doesn’t represent a problem (mothers = 76%; fathers = 61%). 56% of mothers and 38% of fathers wrote about their bedtime routines as a positive and relaxed moment spent with parents.
Conclusions. A good concordance between mothers' and fathers' perceptions about children's bedtime routines was detected. Proximal context can influence bedtime routine, specifically parental stress can lead to critic bedtime routines. Primary care practitioners can play an instrumental role in helping families institute positive sleep practices and improving sleep in toddlers.
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