Establishment and consolidation of the sleep-wake cycle as a function of attachment pattern

Abstract

The development of sleep-wake regulation in infants depends upon brain maturation as well as various environmental factors. The aim of the present study was to evaluate sleep duration and quality as a function of child attachment to the mother. One hundred and thirty-four mother-child dyads enrolled in the Maternal Adversity, Vulnerability and Neurodevelopment (MAVAN) project were included in this study. Attachment was assessed with the Strange Situation procedure at 36 months and maternal sleep reports were collected at 6, 12, 24 and 36 months. Differences in sleep characteristics were assessed with mixed models with one factor (attachment group) and one repeated measure (age). Children classified as disorganized had a significantly lower duration of nocturnal sleep, went to bed later, signaled more awakenings, had shorter periods of uninterrupted sleep (only at 12 months) and had shorter periods of time in bed (only at 6 months) than children classified as secure and/or ambivalent (p < 0.05). This is the first study to show that children with insecure disorganized attachment present a distinct sleep pattern in comparison with those with secure or ambivalent attachment between 6 and 36 months of age. Sleep disturbances could exacerbate difficulties in these families that are already considered vulnerable.

Infant crying problems and symptoms of sleeping problems predict attachment disorganization at 18 months

“…Our findings highlight that infant crying and symptoms of sleeping problems as early as 3 months are related to disorganized attachment in a stressful separation and reunion situation. This finding is in agreement with a previous study, which showed that infants who followed a pattern of going to bed late, cried during the night frequently and had short durations of uninterrupted sleep from 6 to 36 months formed disorganized attachment by 36 months of age (Pennestri et al, 2015).…”

“…For example, no association between night-waking at 6 months (Beijers et al, 2011) or 7 months (Zentall et al, 2012) and disorganized attachment at 12 months of age was found. On the other hand, Pennestri et al, (2015) reported that shorter periods of uninterrupted sleep at 12 months was associated with disorganized attachment at 36 months (Pennestri et al, 2015).…”

Sleep-wake behaviour during the first 12 months of life and associated factors: a systematic review

“…Although some inconsistent results, a secure attachment was associated with more regulated sleep-wake behaviour, characterized by more sleep duration during the night, less night wakings, and a longer longest sleep period in 2 studies (Pennestri et al, 2015;Zentall et al, 2012). This may be explained by the fact that secure infants are more able to deal with the mother separation during the night and rely on mother's availability, presenting a more regulated sleep-wake behaviour during the night (Zentall et al, 2012).…”

Sleep Difficulties in Preschoolers with Psychiatric Diagnoses

“…In the current sample, receiving a diagnosis in the relational disorders or psychosocial problems category was not associated with parental reports of sleep difficulties. Other studies have shown an association between sleep quality and parent-child relationships [36,37], and a recent review paper highlighted the impact of behavioral sleep interventions for bedtime problems and night awakenings on secondary outcome variables such as parent-child relationships [13]. Differences in the population and type of measure (sleep and relational variables) could potentially explain the presence or absence of associations between relational disorders and sleep problems.…”