The Possums Infant Sleep Program: parents’ perspectives on a novel parent-infant sleep intervention in Australia
Open accessAbstract
Aim To evaluate parental perspectives on the acceptability and usefulness of a 'cued-care' approach to infant sleep implemented in an Australian primary care setting. The Possums Infant Sleep Program aims to empower parents to better understand their infant's sleep and their responses to it, and optimize healthy function of the infant's biological sleep regulators to protect against excessive night-waking.Methods The evaluation was undertaken by an independent infant sleep researcher, with no previous involvement in the Possums program. Parents' experiences of the sleep intervention were captured using a mixed methods approach involving (a) group discussions of sleep issues between parents and clinic staff, (b) discussions with parents who volunteered to provide face-to-face feedback, and (c) an online survey designed in light of the information gained from a and b. A one-year audit of clinic registrations provided contextual data.Results Sixty-four clinic clients fully (45) or partially (19) provided answers to survey questions. Respondents were primarily mothers, mean age 34, with a postgraduate qualification and high family income. Their term infants were predominantly breastfed and attended the clinic for feeding and/or sleeping difficulties across the first year of life. Almost all embraced the Possums approach, describing it as challenging and life changing. Audit data confirmed the survey sample reflected the general clinic population.Conclusions The Possums Infant Sleep Program was acceptable to parents, and highly valued. Recipients reported reduced stress, less concern about perceived sleep problems (frequent night-waking, short-day-time naps, delayed sleep onset), and better quality of life.
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The PSP is intended to educate parents in basic sleep science and how this relates to their infant's sleep development, offers strategies for optimising healthy function of the biological sleep regulators, supports values-clarification and empowers parents to adjust expectations and experiment with meeting babies' needs, and supports cued care according to neuroscience and psychological attachment
“The program is intended to educate parents in basic sleep science and how this relates to their infant’s sleep development. It offers strategies for optimising healthy function of the biological sleep regulators, to protect against excessive night-waking. It supports values-clarification and empowers parents to adjust their expectations and to experiment with how they might meet their babies’”
From Development and evaluation of ‘Sleep, Baby & You’—An approach to supporting parental well-being and responsive infant caregiving (2020) · cites this paper as [34]
The theoretical basis for the PSP is based on an evolutionary understanding of infant needs, integrating interdisciplinary sleep science and contextual behavioural science.
“Whittingham & Douglas [31] published the theoretical frame for a paradigm shift in parent-baby sleep management, based on an evolutionary understanding of infant needs, and integrating interdisciplinary sleep science and contextual behavioural science (a ‘third wave’ behaviourism].”
From Development and evaluation of ‘Sleep, Baby & You’—An approach to supporting parental well-being and responsive infant caregiving (2020) · cites this paper as [34]
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- Authors
- Ball, H. L., Douglas, P. S., Kulasinghe, K., Whittingham, K., & Hill, P.
- Affiliations
- Durham University (GB)
- Griffith University (AU)
- The University of Queensland (AU)
- Corresponding author
- Ball, Helen L.
- Venue
- Sleep Health
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2018-12
- Volume
- 4
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 519-526
- ISSN
- 2352-7218 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2895451357
- Cited by
- 43
- References
- 38
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 1
- FWCI
- 7.35
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- dro.dur.ac.uk
- Licence
- Locations
- Sleep Health (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Durham Research Online (Durham University) (acceptedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Durham Research Online (Durham University) (acceptedVersion, other-oa)
- Durham Research Online (Durham University) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Griffith Research Online (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Economic and Social Research Council (ES/I030123/1)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › Pharmacy › Infant Health and Development
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Sleep and related disorders
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Pediatric Pain Management Techniques
- Keywords
- infant sleep, parental attitudes, acceptability, nocturnal awakenings, primary care, parent stress, quality of life, breastfeeding, sleep onset delay, NAP
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Australia, Female, Health Promotion, Humans, Infant, Male, Parents, Surveys and Questionnaires, Sleep, Sleep Wake Disorders, Program Evaluation
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