Longitudinal Associations Between the Quality of Parent-Child Interactions and Children's Sleep at Preschool Age

This study aimed to examine the prospective longitudinal links between the quality of mother child and father child interactions and preschoolers' sleep. Three dimensions of maternal interactive behavior were considered using 70 mother-child dyads, while the quality of father child interactions was assessed using 41 of these families. Maternal mind-mindedness was assessed at 12 months during a mother infant free-play sequence, maternal sensitivity was rated at 12 months based on observations performed throughout a home visit, maternal autonomy support was assessed at 15 months with a 10-min problem-solving situation, and the quality of father child interactions was scored at 18 months, during father child free play. Children's sleep was assessed at 3 and 4 years using a sleep diary completed by mothers during 3 consecutive days. Results indicated that, after controlling for family socioeconomic status and daycare attendance, the quality of both mother infant and father infant interactions was positively related to children's percentage of night-time sleep at preschool age. These findings add to previous literature in suggesting that early caregiving behavior by both mothers and fathers is related to subsequent child sleep.