Maternal Separation Anxiety As a Regulator of Infants' Sleep

Background: The regulation of infants' sleep is determined not only by biological factors but by relational aspects too. This study focused on maternal separation anxiety and examined its association with sleep-wake regulation at 10 months of age.

Method: In a community sample comprising 52 infants and their mothers, sleep was measured objectively with an activity monitor, as well as through questionnaires. The mothers reported on their own separation anxiety and on the child's perceived distress.

Results: The main finding was that maternal separation anxiety was linked to settling to sleep routines and to night-waking. The contribution of the mothers' own separation anxiety to their infants' night-waking remained significant after controlling for the child's fussiness.

Conclusions: Consistent with the transactional perspective, the current research documented an interplay between maternal separation anxiety and aspects of the child's sleep-wake transitions.