A 1-year longitudinal study of the stress, sleep, and parenting of mothers of toddlers

Objectives The present study, building on cross-sectional research showing links between mothers’ sleep, stress, and parenting, used a longitudinal design to consider (1) the temporal direction of links between mothers’ sleep and stress, (2) whether mother sleep deficits predict change in parenting across time, and (3) whether mother sleep deficits mediate the inverse association between stress and positive parenting. Design The study used repeated measures of stress, mother sleep, and positive parenting at toddler ages 30, 36, and 42 months. Setting Data were collected at 2 sites, one in the Midwest and one in the East. Participants Four hundred thirteen mother-toddler pairs were followed. Mothers were mostly married, college educated, and middle class, but there was also considerable variability between families. Measurements Stress was measured via parenting hassles, CHAOS, and role overload scales. Mother sleep was measured via actigraphy. Positive parenting was observed during the bedtime routine and rated using the HOME scale and other items. Results Mother stress and sleep were inextricably linked across toddlerhood, and worse sleep was predictive of less observed positive parenting, even when controlling for prior levels of stress and parenting. Conclusions Improving mothers’ sleep may be important in efforts to improve their parenting.