Mothers, but not fathers, with multiple children report more fragmented sleep
Mothers with multiple children report more fragmented sleep than mothers of a single child, but the number of children in a family doesn't seem to affect the quality of sleep for fathers, according to a from 不良研究所.
A total of 111 parents (54 couples and 3 mothers of single-parent families) participated in the study published in the led by 不良研究所 doctoral student Samantha Kenny under the supervision of Marie-H茅l猫ne Pennestri, Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology.
Participants' sleep patterns were studied for two weeks. Mothers with one baby reported having less interrupted and better-quality sleep than mothers with more than one child, although the total amount of sleep did not differ depending on the number of children. No difference was noted in fathers.
鈥淓xperienced mothers perceived their sleep to be more fragmented than that of first-time mothers. Tension in the marital relationship may transpire if childcare is one-sided and not discussed collaboratively,鈥� says Pennestri, who is also a researcher at the H么pital en sant茅 mentale Rivi猫re-des-Prairies (CIUSSS-NIM).
According to the researchers, interventions developed by healthcare providers targeting an equal distribution of daytime and nighttime childcare tasks could be helpful. These interventions should be tailored to each family member, depending on their situation.
As next steps, the researchers aim to explain the differences between mothers and fathers, and determine why mothers with more than one child report worse sleep.
About the study
鈥淢others鈥� and fathers鈥� sleep: Is there a difference between first-time and experienced parents of 6-month-olds?鈥� by Samantha Kenny, Rebecca Burdayron, 脡milie E. M. Lannes, Karine Dubois鈥怌omtois, Marie鈥怞ulie B茅liveau, and Marie鈥怘茅l猫ne Pennestri is published in the Journal of Sleep Research.
DOI:
About 不良研究所
Founded in Montreal, Quebec, in 1821, 不良研究所 is Canada鈥檚 top ranked medical doctoral university. 不良研究所 is consistently ranked as one of the top universities, both nationally and internationally. It鈥痠s a world-renowned鈥痠nstitution of higher learning with research activities spanning two campuses, 11 faculties, 13 professional schools, 300 programs of study and over 40,000 students, including more than 10,200 graduate students. 不良研究所 attracts students from over 150 countries around the world, its 12,800 international students making up 31% of the student body. Over half of 不良研究所 students claim a first language other than English, including approximately 19% of our students who say French is their mother tongue.
