A Longitudinal Study of Postpartum Maternal Sleep and Sensitivity: Examining Depressive Symptoms and Social Support as Moderators

This longitudinal study examined whether links between postpartum maternal sleep and the quality of the mother–infant relationship are moderated by depressive symptoms and social support. Assessments were conducted at 4 months (N = 130) and 8 months postpartum (N = 108). Maternal sleep (i.e., sleep percent, minutes and variability) was measured over seven nights using actigraphy and sleep diaries. Questionnaires captured socio-demographic information, feeding methods, social support and maternal depressive symptoms. At the 8-month assessment, a 20-min free-play interaction between mother and infant was video recorded and later maternal sensitivity was coded using the Emotional Availability Scales (EAS). The findings showed no significant Pearson correlations between maternal sleep and maternal sensitivity when controlling for infant feeding methods. A series of two-step hierarchical multiple regression models was used to examine depression and social support as moderators of the links between maternal sleep and maternal sensitivity. While depressive symptoms did not moderate these relationships, social support did. Specifically, higher actigraphic and reported sleep variability (i.e., less stable sleep) was associated with lower maternal sensitivity during play interactions, but only among mothers with high levels of social support. Evidence emerged for both concurrent and prospective links. The results suggest that maternal sleep is associated with sensitivity only in mothers with high social support. Possible explanations for this unexpected finding are discussed. Moreover, in this group, sleep variability is more strongly linked to maternal sensitivity than other sleep characteristics, highlighting the importance of sleep stability.