Understanding Maternal and Infant Sleep from Pregnancy Onward: The Role of Childhood Maltreatment and Maternal Well-being

Understanding Maternal and Infant Sleep from Pregnancy Onward: The Role of Childhood Maltreatment and Maternal Well-being

Lead researchers : : ​Evelyne Touchette^1,2, Anna MacKinnon^3,4, ​Célia Matte-Gagné^1,5,6

Co-researchers : : Emmanuel Bujold^6,7, Gina Muckle^5,6

1. Centre de recherche universitaire sur les jeunes et les familles (CRUJeF)
2. Department of Psychoeducation and Social Work, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Quebec Campus
3. CHU Ste-Justine Research Center, Montreal, QC, Canada
4. Department of Psychiatry and Addiction, Faculty of Medicine, Université de Montréal
5. School of Psychology, Université Laval; GRIP
6. CHU de Québec–Université Laval Research Center
7. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval

Study abstract :

​Although one in two women report sleep problems during pregnancy, sleep quality during this critical period remains under-investigated. This proposed study will use both objective and subjective measures to assess sleep quality during the third trimester of pregnancy and at 6 months postpartum. The study aims to:

1) Document whether a history of childhood maltreatment is associated with maternal sleep quality during pregnancy and postpartum;

2) Investigate whether sleep quality during pregnancy differs based on the specific type of childhood maltreatment experienced (physical abuse, sexual abuse, physical neglect, emotional neglect);

3) Determine whether associations between antenatal factors (childhood maltreatment and maternal antenatal well-being) and sleep quality during the third trimester are mediated by factors occurring during pregnancy (maternal well-being and substance use);

4) Prospectively examine the links between maternal sleep quality in the third trimester (T1) and postpartum outcomes at 6 months (T2), including infant temperament and sleep, maternal sleep quality and well-being, and the mother-infant relationship.

The study is innovative in its use of objective sleep measures during pregnancy and postpartum, alongside indicators of infant sleep. A better understanding of the role of sleep quality during pregnancy is essential for developing policies and social programs that promote sleep health among women with histories of childhood maltreatment.

The findings from this project will help generate new knowledge on the well-being of pregnant women exposed to childhood maltreatment, ultimately aiming to reduce the risk of intergenerational transmission of maltreatment in the population.