Relationship Between Child and Maternal Sleep: A Developmental and Cross-Cultural Comparison

The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between young children’s sleep and maternal sleep from both a developmental and a cross-cultural perspective. Mothers of 10,085 young chil-dren completed the Brief Infant/Child Sleep Questionnaire and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Overall, there were significant relationships between maternal and child sleep for bedtime, wake-time, number of night wakings, and total nighttime sleep time across ages and cultures, although these relationships were stronger with younger children than preschool-aged children. Mothers report that their child’s sleep pattern significantly impacts their sleep and daytime function, and they do not feel confident in managing their child’s sleep pattern. Thus, interventions to improve children’s sleep and develop good sleep habits, especially in early childhood, are likely to improve the quality of life of the whole family. Key words: child; cross-cultural; infant; maternal; mother; sleep. Sleep disturbances and insufficient sleep are highly prevalent across all ages. The majority of studies, however, consider these issues within individuals rather than within a family context, which is espe-cially important in child development. Infant sleep is a major source of concern and stress for parents (Mindell, Kuhn, Lewin, Meltzer, & Sadeh, 2006). It has been associated with maternal depression and other indices of parental psychopathology (Eckerberg, 2004; Martin