Do psychosocial sleep interventions improve infant sleep or maternal mood in the postnatal period? A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials
Abstract
Sleep complaints are common amongst mothers of infants and insufficient, inefficient or fragmented sleep is associated with postnatal depression. The aim of this review is to determine whether psychosocial sleep-focused interventions offered in the perinatal period improve infant sleep or maternal mood. We searched PubMed, PsycInfo, EMBASE and CINAHL with no date restriction. We reviewed 1097 articles, resulting in nine papers (n = 1,656) that fit the eligibility criteria for inclusion in the analyses. The primary outcome was infant sleep, defined as maternal reports of infant nocturnal total sleep time and number of night-time wakes. The secondary outcome was maternal mood. The meta-analysis indicated improvements in reported infant nocturnal total sleep time (Hedge's g = 0.204, p < 0.01). However, there was no evidence for reducing infant night wakes (Hedge's g = 0.103, p = 0.134). There was evidence of maternal mood improvements (Hedge's g = 0.152, p = 0.014), however, this could have been influenced by publication bias. Psychosocial sleep interventions appear to impact the amount of sleep that a mother reports her baby to have, although the infants continue to wake as frequently. More research is needed to confirm whether sleep-related improvements can translate into improvements in maternal mood.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Trials of educational interventions have at best produced mixed results, and most have been found to be ineffective.
“they have at best produced mixed results, and most have been found to be ineffective [14,40–42].”
From Development and evaluation of ‘Sleep, Baby & You’—An approach to supporting parental well-being and responsive infant caregiving (2020) · cites this paper as [14]
Cites
Measuring inconsistency in meta-analyses
Higgins, J. P. T., Thompson, S. G., Deeks, J. J., & Altman, D. G. (2003) · BMJ · doi:10.1136/bmj.327.7414.557 · Cited by 63,139 · see citing works
The Cochrane Collaboration's tool for assessing risk of bias in randomised trials
Higgins, J. P. T., Altman, D. G., Gotzsche, P. C., Juni, P., Moher, D., Oxman, A. D., Savovic, J., Schulz, K. F., Weeks, L., Sterne, J. A. C., et al. (2011) · BMJ · doi:10.1136/bmj.d5928 · Cited by 33,817 · see citing works
Perinatal Depression: A Systematic Review of Prevalence and Incidence
Gavin, N. I., Gaynes, B. N., Lohr, K. N., Meltzer-Brody, S., Gartlehner, G., & Swinson, T. (2005) · Obstetrics & Gynecology · doi:10.1097/01.aog.0000183597.31630.db · Cited by 3,282 · see citing works
Interpretation of random effects meta-analyses
Riley, R. D., Higgins, J. P. T., & Deeks, J. J. (2011) · BMJ · doi:10.1136/bmj.d549 · Cited by 2,884 · see citing works
The effects of postpartum depression on child development: A meta-analysis
Beck, C. T. (1998) · Archives of Psychiatric Nursing · doi:10.1016/s0883-9417(98)80004-6 · Cited by 558 · see citing works
The Effects of Postpartum Depression on Maternal-Infant Interaction: A Meta-Analysis
BECK, C. T. (1995) · Nursing Research · doi:10.1097/00006199-199509000-00007 · Cited by 467 · see citing works
Sleep Disturbances in Pregnancy
Facco, F. L., Kramer, J., Ho, K. H., Zee, P. C., & Grobman, W. A. (2010) · Obstetrics & Gynecology · doi:10.1097/aog.0b013e3181c4f8ec · Cited by 403 · see citing works
Infant sleep problems and postnatal depression: a community-based study
Hiscock, H., & Wake, M. (2001) · Pediatrics · doi:10.1542/peds.107.6.1317 · Cited by 368 · see citing works
Outcomes of Infant Sleep Problems: A Longitudinal Study of Sleep, Behavior, and Maternal Well-Being
Lam, P., Hiscock, H., & Wake, M. A. (2003) · PEDIATRICS · doi:10.1542/peds.111.3.e203 · Cited by 356 · see citing works
Sleep and depression in postpartum women: a population-based study
Dørheim, S. K., Bondevik, G. T., Eberhard-Gran, M., & Bjorvatn, B. (2009) · SLEEP · doi:10.1093/sleep/32.7.847 · Cited by 331 · see citing works
Hiscock, H., & Wake, M. A. (2002) · BMJ · doi:10.1136/bmj.324.7345.1062 · Cited by 319 · see citing works
A meta-analysis of treatments for perinatal depression
Sockol, L. E., Epperson, C. N., & Barber, J. P. (2011) · Clinical Psychology Review · doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2011.03.009 · Cited by 287 · see citing works
Wolfson, A. R., Lacks, P. B., & Futterman, A. M. (1992) · Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1037//0022-006x.60.1.41 · Cited by 257 · see citing works
Sleep disturbances during pregnancy
Mindell, J. A., & Jacobson, B. J. (2000) · Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing · doi:10.1111/j.1552-6909.2000.tb02072.x · Cited by 239 · see citing works
Bei, B., Milgrom, J., Ericksen, J., & Trinder, J. (2010) · SLEEP · doi:10.1093/sleep/33.4.531 · Cited by 234 · see citing works
The sleep patterns of normal children
Armstrong, K. L., Quinn, R. A., & Dadds, M. R. (1994) · The Medical Journal of Australia · doi:10.5694/j.1326-5377.1994.tb127383.x · Cited by 219 · see citing works
Wolfson, A. R., Lacks, P. B., & Futterman, A. M. (1992) · Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-006x.60.1.41 · Cited by 189 · see citing works
Improving infant sleep and maternal mental health: a cluster randomised trial
Hiscock, H., Bayer, J., Gold, L., Hampton, A., Ukoumunne, O. C., & Wake, M. (2007) · Archives of Disease in Childhood · doi:10.1136/adc.2006.099812 · Cited by 188 · see citing works
Alterations in sleep during pregnancy and postpartum: a review of 30 years of research.
Lee, K. A. (1998) · Sleep Medicine Reviews · doi:10.1016/s1087-0792(98)90010-7 · Cited by 183 · see citing works
Goyal, D., Gay, C., & Lee, K. A. (2009) · Archives of Women s Mental Health · doi:10.1007/s00737-009-0070-9 · Cited by 174 · see citing works
Help me make it through the night: behavioral entrainment of breast-fed infants' sleep patterns.
Pinilla, T., & Birch, L. L. (1993) · PubMed · Cited by 162 · see citing works
Sleeping Through the Night: The Consolidation of Self-regulated Sleep Across the First Year of Life
Henderson, J. M. T., France, K. G., Owens, J. L., & Blampied, N. M. (2010) · PEDIATRICS · doi:10.1542/peds.2010-0976 · Cited by 153 · see citing works
Preventing early infant sleep and crying problems and postnatal depression: A randomized trial
Hiscock, H., Cook, F., Bayer, J., Le, H. N., Mensah, F., Cann, W., Symon, B., & St James-Roberts, I. (2014) · Pediatrics · doi:10.1542/peds.2013-1886 · Cited by 147 · see citing works
Stremler, R., Hodnett, E., Kenton, L., Lee, K., Weiss, S., Weston, J., & Willan, A. (2013) · BMJ · doi:10.1136/bmj.f1164 · Cited by 145 · see citing works
Signal, T. L., Gander, P. H., Sangalli, M. R., Travier, N., Firestone, R. T., & Tuohy, J. (2007) · Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology · doi:10.1111/j.1479-828x.2006.00672.x · Cited by 136 · see citing works
Brindle, R. C., Ginty, A. T., Phillips, A. C., & Carroll, D. (2014) · Psychophysiology · doi:10.1111/psyp.12248 · Cited by 135 · see citing works
Stremler, R., HODNETT, E. D., Lee, K. A., MacMillan, S. N., Mill, C., Ongcangco, L., & Willan, A. R. (2006) · SLEEP · doi:10.1093/sleep/29.12.1609 · Cited by 134 · see citing works
Use of a behavioural programme in the first 3 months to prevent infant crying and sleeping problems
James‐Roberts, I. S., & Gillham, P. (2001) · Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health · doi:10.1046/j.1440-1754.2001.00699.x · Cited by 132 · see citing works
Douglas, P. S., & Hill, P. S. (2013) · Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics · doi:10.1097/dbp.0b013e31829cafa6 · Cited by 129 · see citing works
Owens, L. J., France, K. G., & Wiggs, L. D. (1999) · Sleep Medicine Reviews · doi:10.1053/smrv.1999.0082 · Cited by 128 · see citing works
Postnatal parental education for optimizing infant general health and parent-infant relationships
Bryanton, J., Beck, C. T., & Montelpare, W. J. (2013) · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · doi:10.1002/14651858.cd004068.pub4 · Cited by 112 · see citing works
Sleep deprivation or postnatal depression in later infancy: Separating the chicken from the egg
ARMSTRONG, K., Haeringen, A. V., Dadds, M. R., & Cash, R. (1998) · Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health · doi:10.1046/j.1440-1754.1998.00213.x · Cited by 107 · see citing works
Preventing sleep problems in infants: a randomized controlled trial
Kerr, S., Jowett, S. A., & Smith, L. N. (1996) · Journal of Advanced Nursing · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2648.1996.tb02929.x · Cited by 92 · see citing works
Buist, A., Bilszta, J. L. C., Barnett, B. E. W., Milgrom, J., Ericksen, J., Condon, J. T., Hayes, B. J., & Brooks, J. (2005) · PubMed · Cited by 87 · see citing works
Penagos, M., Compalati, E., Tarantini, F., Baena‐Cagnani, C. E., Passalacqua, G., & Canonica, G. W. (2008) · Allergy · doi:10.1111/j.1398-9995.2008.01808.x · Cited by 83 · see citing works
Kahn, M., Fridenson-Hayo, S., Lerer, R., Bar‐Haim, Y., & Sadeh, A. (2014) · Sleep Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2014.03.016 · Cited by 80 · see citing works
Symon, B. G., Marley, J. E., Martin, A., & Norman, E. R. (2005) · The Medical Journal of Australia · doi:10.5694/j.1326-5377.2005.tb06669.x · Cited by 76 · see citing works
Parker, E. P. K., Kampmann, B., Kang, G., & Grassly, N. C. (2014) · The Journal of Infectious Diseases · doi:10.1093/infdis/jiu182 · Cited by 74 · see citing works
A meta-analysis and meta-regression of serial reaction time task performance in Parkinson’s disease.
Clark, G. M., Lum, J. A. G., & Ullman, M. T. (2014) · Neuropsychology · doi:10.1037/neu0000121 · Cited by 68 · see citing works
Miller, E. H. (2004) · Clinical cornerstone · doi:10.1016/s1098-3597(04)80015-2 · Cited by 53 · see citing works
The prevention of postnatal depression: A narrative systematic review
Boath, E., Bradley, E., & Henshaw, C. A. (2005) · Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics & Gynecology · doi:10.1080/01674820400028431 · Cited by 51 · see citing works
Help Me Make It Through the Night: Behavirol Entrainment Breast-Fed Infants' Sleep Patterns
Pinilla, T., & Birch, L. L. (1993) · PEDIATRICS · doi:10.1542/peds.91.2.436 · Cited by 47 · see citing works
Postnatal parental education for optimizing infant general health and parent-infant relationships
Bryanton, J., & Beck, C. T. (2010) · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · doi:10.1002/14651858.cd004068.pub3 · Cited by 39 · see citing works
Canonica, G. W., Compalati, E., Tarantini, F., Passalacqua, G., & Penagos, M. (2008) · Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology · doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2007.12.212 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
Secular changes in sleep duration among Australian adults, 1992–2006
Bin, Y. S., Marshall, N. S., & Glozier, N. (2011) · The Medical Journal of Australia · doi:10.5694/mja11.10302 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
Unipolar Depression During Pregnancy: Nonpharmacologic Treatment Options
Tjoa, C. W., Paré, E., & Kim, D. R. (2010) · Women s Health · doi:10.2217/whe.10.27 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Merriam-Webster’s Medical Dictionary app
Evans, R. G. (2014) · Nursing Standard · doi:10.7748/ns.29.8.33.s39 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Postpartum depression: pathophysiology, treatment, and emerging therapeutics
Stewart, D. E., & Vigod, S. N. (2019) · Annual Review of Medicine · doi:10.1146/annurev-med-041217-011106 · Cited by 445 · see citing works
Infant sleep problems and interventions: A review
Field, T. M. (2017) · Infant Behavior and Development · doi:10.1016/j.infbeh.2017.02.002 · Cited by 145 · see citing works
Sleep Health Promotion Interventions and Their Effectiveness: An Umbrella Review
Albakri, U., Drotos, E., & Meertens, R. M. (2021) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph18115533 · Cited by 145 · see citing works
“This included two meta-analyses primarily analyzing behavior change methods [33,62], and two meta-analyses of exclusively mind–body exercises [54,57].”
BackgroundMethodThompson, R. S., Roller, R., Mika, A., Greenwood, B. N., Knight, R. D., Chichlowski, M., Berg, B. M., & Fleshner, M. (2017) · Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2016.00240 · Cited by 117 · see citing works
Chua, J. Y. X., & Shorey, S. (2021) · Nurse Education Today · doi:10.1016/j.nedt.2021.104892 · Cited by 95 · see citing works
Parenting and sleep in early childhood
Tikotzky, L. (2017) · Current Opinion in Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.copsyc.2017.02.016 · Cited by 90 · see citing works
A systematic review of prevention and treatment of infant behavioural sleep problems
Reuter, A., Silfverdal, S., Lindblom, K., & Hjern, A. (2020) · Acta Paediatrica · doi:10.1111/apa.15182 · Cited by 72 · see citing works
Owais, S., Chow, C. H. T., Furtado, M., Frey, B. N., & Lieshout, R. J. V. (2018) · Sleep Medicine Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.smrv.2018.01.005 · Cited by 69 · see citing works
Galland, B. C., Sayers, R., Cameron, S. L., Gray, A. R., Heath, A. M., Lawrence, J. A., Newlands, A., Taylor, B. J., & Taylor, R. W. (2017) · BMJ Open · doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2016-014908 · Cited by 58 · see citing works
Wang, G., Deng, Y., Jiang, Y., Lin, Q., Dong, S., Song, Y., Zhu, L., Zhu, Q., Sun, W., Zhang, Y., et al. (2018) · SLEEP · doi:10.1093/sleep/zsy179 · Cited by 55 · see citing works
“Effective management of infant sleep and crying problems has proved to decrease maternal depression [63].”
BackgroundReal-World Implementation of Infant Behavioral Sleep Interventions: Results of a Parental Survey
Honaker, S. M., Schwichtenberg, A. J., Kreps, T. A., & Mindell, J. A. A. (2018) · The Journal of Pediatrics · doi:10.1016/j.jpeds.2018.04.009 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
Chua, J. Y. X., & Shorey, S. (2022) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/s10803-021-04893-1 · Cited by 44 · see citing works
“Overall bias rating was determined by the worst score that each study received for any domain (Kempler et al. 2016).”
BackgroundBall, H. L., Douglas, P. S., Kulasinghe, K., Whittingham, K., & Hill, P. (2018) · Sleep Health · doi:10.1016/j.sleh.2018.08.007 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
Wong, J. C. M., Chua, J. Y. X., Chan, P. Y., & Shorey, S. (2024) · Journal of Advanced Nursing · doi:10.1111/jan.16127 · Cited by 70 · see citing works
Fangupo, L. J., Haszard, J. J., Reynolds, A. N., Lucas, A. W., McIntosh, D. R., Richards, R., Camp, J., Galland, B. C., Smith, C. P., & Taylor, R. W. (2021) · Sleep Medicine Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.smrv.2021.101498 · Cited by 40 · see citing works
Clinically Oriented Subtyping of Chronic Insomnia of Childhood
Bruni, O., Sette, S., Angriman, M., Baumgartner, E., Selvaggini, L., Belli, C., & Ferri, R. (2018) · The Journal of Pediatrics · doi:10.1016/j.jpeds.2018.01.036 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
Hornsey, S., Gosling, C. J., Jurek, L., Nourredine, M., Telesia, L., Solmi, M., Butt, I., Greenwell, K., Müller, I., Hill, C. M., et al. (2024) · Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.jaac.2024.10.015 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
Sun, J., Cao, D., Li, J., Zhang, X., Wang, Y., Bai, H., Lin, P., Zhang, H., & Cao, F. (2019) · Journal of Advanced Nursing · doi:10.1111/jan.14136 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
Shorey, S., & Chua, J. Y. X. (2022) · Journal of Mental Health · doi:10.1080/09638237.2021.2022630 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
Nonpharmacological Interventions to Lengthen Sleep Duration in Healthy Children
Magee, L., Goldsmith, L. P., Chaudhry, U. A. R., Donin, A. S., Wahlich, C., Stovold, E. M., Nightingale, C. M., Rudnicka, A. R., & Owen, C. G. (2022) · Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine · doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2022.3172 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
Shorey, S., Downe, S. M., Chua, J. Y. X., Byrne, S. O., Fobelets, M., & Lalor, J. (2021) · Trauma Violence & Abuse · doi:10.1177/15248380211060808 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
“The overall bias rating for each study was decided by the worst score it received for any domain (Kempler et al., 2016).”
BackgroundBall, H. L., Taylor, C. E., Thomas, V., Douglas, P. S., & the SBY working group (2020) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0237240 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
Postpartum Period and Early Motherhood
Stremler, R., Sharkey, K. M., & Wolfson, A. R. (2016) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-323-24288-2.00158-6 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Park, J., Kim, S. Y., & Lee, K. (2022) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-022-07762-8 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Costa, D. D., Lai, J., & Zelkowitz, P. (2021) · Infant Mental Health Journal · doi:10.1002/imhj.21911 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
Postpartum and Paternal Postnatal Depression
Gedzyk‐Nieman, S. A. (2021) · Nursing Clinics of North America · doi:10.1016/j.cnur.2021.04.001 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
Chronic insomnia of early childhood: Phenotypes and pathophysiology
Bruni, O., DelRosso, L. M., Mogavero, M. P., Angriman, M., & Ferri, R. (2022) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104653 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Galbally, M., Watson, S., Teti, D. M., & Lewis, A. J. (2018) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2018.05.025 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Douglas, P. (2019) · Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnint.2019.00066 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Kempler, L., Sharpe, L., Marshall, N. S., & Bartlett, D. J. (2020) · SLEEP · doi:10.1093/sleep/zsaa101 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Self-citationLandsem, I. P., & Cheetham, N. B. (2022) · BMC Health Services Research · doi:10.1186/s12913-022-08484-3 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
“Some studies found that early interventions may increase infants’ night-time sleep [26, 54], reduce the frequency of nightwakings [71], increase the use of recommended early bedtimes for infants [56], prevent prolonged bedtime routines, eat as the last activity before sleep [27, 56], and help infants to sleep more reg…”
BackgroundHow Postpartum Women With Depressive Symptoms Manage Sleep Disruption and Fatigue
Doering, J. J., Sims, D. A., & Miller, D. D. (2017) · Research in Nursing & Health · doi:10.1002/nur.21782 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
Missler, M. A., Beijers, R., Denissen, J. J. A., & van Straten, A. (2018) · Trials · doi:10.1186/s13063-017-2348-y · Cited by 20 · see citing works
“It is also important to note here that sensitive care is put central in our intervention, and that, for example, “crying it out” and “camping it out” techniques [32], in which parents are instructed to let infants cry for a specified amount of time, are not included in our intervention.”
BackgroundQuin, N., Tikotzky, L., Astbury, L., Spina, M.-A., Fisher, J., Stafford, L., Wiley, J. F., & Bei, B. (2024) · SLEEP · doi:10.1093/sleep/zsae106 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
“Meta-analyses and systematic reviews suggest that behavioral sleep interventions improve sleep onset duration and night awakening frequency/ duration in infants with a mean age of 17.6 months [37], but do not reduce infant nighttime awakenings in infants younger than 6 months old [38, 39].”
BackgroundInfluentialRouzafzoon, M., Farnam, F., & Khakbazan, Z. (2021) · Journal of Sleep Research · doi:10.1111/jsr.13344 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
“However, few randomised controlled trials (RCT) have been performed to evaluate infant BSI’s effectiveness, especially in infants aged < versus >6 months (Kempler et al., 2016; Reuter et al., 2020).”
BackgroundResultInsomnia, postpartum depression and estradiol in women after delivery
Drozdowicz, E., Skalski, M., Gdańska, P., Mach, A., Januszko, P., Nowak, R. J., Węgrzyn, P., Wielgoś, M., & Radziwoń-Zaleska, M. (2017) · Metabolic Brain Disease · doi:10.1007/s11011-017-0079-0 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
“Reduced sleep quality seems likely to increase the risk of postpartum depression; however, there have been few studies on the topic (Kempler et al. 2016).”
Possums-based parental education for infant sleep: cued care resulting in sustained breastfeeding
Öztürk, M., Boran, P., Ersu, R. H., & Peker, Y. (2021) · European Journal of Pediatrics · doi:10.1007/s00431-021-03942-2 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
Sasaki, N., Yasuma, N., Obikane, E., Narita, Z. C., Sekiya, J., Inagawa, T., Nakajima, A., Yamada, Y., Yamazaki, R., Matsunaga, A., et al. (2020) · Neuropsychopharmacology Reports · doi:10.1002/npr2.12155 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
“In 2016, a systematic review of ve RCTs [33] investigated the effectiveness of psychosocial sleep interventions among pregnant or postnatal women for improving maternal mood after childbirth, showing improvements (Hedge’s g=0.”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialThe role of sleep protection in preventing and treating postpartum depression
Leistikow, N., & Smith, M. H. (2024) · Seminars in Perinatology · doi:10.1016/j.semperi.2024.151947 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Campbell, E. J., Crook, E. C., Waldby, L., & Douglas, P. (2023) · Journal of Occupational Science · doi:10.1080/14427591.2023.2236117 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
“While various studies appear to support less responsive approaches to infant care, the fi ndings are mixed and the quality of the research is questionable (Bryanton et al., 2013; Crichton & Symon, 2016; Douglas & Hill, 2013b; Kempler et al., 2015; Reuter et al., 2020).”
An overview of reviews for preventing and treating sleep problems in infants
Drozd, F., Leksbø, T. S., Størksen, H. T., Wilhelmsen, C. E. W., & Slinning, K. (2022) · Acta Paediatrica · doi:10.1111/apa.16475 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Sleep, Anxiety, and Vitamin D Status and Risk for Peripartum Depression
King, C. E., Wilkerson, A. K., Newman, R., Wagner, C. L., & Guille, C. (2022) · Reproductive Sciences · doi:10.1007/s43032-022-00922-1 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Cumulative risk, infant sleep, and infant social-emotional development
Lobermeier, M., Staples, A. D., Peterson, C., Huth‐Bocks, A. C., Warschausky, S. A., Taylor, H. G., Brooks, J., Lukomski, A., & Lajiness-O'Neill, R. R. (2022) · Infant Behavior and Development · doi:10.1016/j.infbeh.2022.101713 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Liu, J., Ji, X., Wang, G., Li, Y., Leung, P. W. L., & Pinto‐Martin, J. A. (2020) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2020.03.178 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Rudzik, A. E. F., Robinson‐Smith, L., Tugwell, F., & Ball, H. L. (2023) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1133386 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
“Infant-related sleep disruption has shown a strong and enduring association with maternal depression (12, 15) even when accounting for recognized depression risk factors (16).”
BackgroundLiu, J., Sun, Y., Fan, X., Zang, T., Han, L., Slack, J. E., Bai, J., Chen, H., & Liu, Y. (2023) · Sleep Health · doi:10.1016/j.sleh.2023.06.010 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
Perinatal depression: Data-driven subtypes derived from life history and mindfulness and personality
Sun, J., Li, J., Zhang, X., Wang, Y., Cao, D., Wang, J., Bai, H., Lin, P., Zhang, H., Sun, Y., et al. (2020) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2020.07.040 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
Outcomes of a walking exercise intervention in postpartum women with disordered sleep
Liu, Y., Chang, C., Hung, H., & Chen, C. (2021) · Journal of obstetrics and gynaecology research · doi:10.1111/jog.14672 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
Infant sleep interventions – Methodological and conceptual issues
Sadeh, A., & Mindell, J. A. A. (2015) · Sleep Medicine Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.smrv.2015.11.002 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
Berry, O. O., Babineau, V., Lee, S., Feng, T., Scorza, P., Werner, E. A., & Monk, C. E. (2021) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2021.04.068 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Impact of sleep on postpartum health outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Khan-Afridi, Z., Ruchat, S.-M., Jones, P. A. T., Ali, M. U., Matenchuk, B. A., Leonard, S., Jantz, A. W., Leek, K. V., Maier, L. E., Osachoff, L., et al. (2025) · British Journal of Sports Medicine · doi:10.1136/bjsports-2024-109604 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Evaluating the “possums” health professional training in parent–infant sleep
Whittingham, K., Palmer, C., Douglas, P., Creedy, D. K., & Sheffield, J. K. (2020) · Infant Mental Health Journal · doi:10.1002/imhj.21885 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Ching, H., Chua, J. Y. X., Chua, J. S., & Shorey, S. (2023) · Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing · doi:10.1111/wvn.12673 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Størksen, H. T., Haga, S., Slinning, K., & Drozd, F. (2019) · JMIR Mental Health · doi:10.2196/15149 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
“Children may struggle with different socioemotional and psychological difficulties such as sleep problems [2], excessive crying, or aggressive behavior, which present opportunities for unhealthy developmental pathways in children, which in turn can affect the parent-child relationship, including increased risk of negl…”
BackgroundEffects of a Responsive Parenting Intervention Among Black Families on Infant Sleep
Lavner, J. A., Hohman, E. E., Beach, S. R. H., Stansfield, B. K., & Savage, J. S. (2023) · JAMA Network Open · doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.6276 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Armstrong, B., Weaver, R. G., Beets, M. W., Østbye, T., Kravitz, R. M., & Benjamin-Neelon, S. E. (2022) · Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics · doi:10.1097/dbp.0000000000001048 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
“As such, there has been considerable interest in developing interventions to address maternal depression and depressive symptoms.(5) New parents are vulnerable to both fatigue and depressive symptoms, and both fatigue and depression are strongly correlated among new mothers.”
BackgroundInfluentialYani, D. I., Chua, J. Y. X., Wong, J. C. M., Pikkarainen, M. A., & Shorey, S. (2024) · International Journal of Mental Health Nursing · doi:10.1111/inm.13494 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
Koh, P. Y., Chua, J. Y. X., Chan, P. Y., & Shorey, S. (2024) · Nutrients · doi:10.3390/nu16203465 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
“The overall bias rating for each study was determined by the worst score it received for any domain [41].”
BackgroundQi, W., Huang, S., Zhao, J., Cui, X., Wei, Z., Cui, G., Guo, Q., & Hu, J. (2024) · Journal of Psychiatric Research · doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2024.11.050 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
Beijers, R., Cassidy, J., Lustermans, H., & de Weerth, C. (2018) · Child Development · doi:10.1111/cdev.13146 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Canfield, S. M., & Canada, K. E. (2023) · Journal of Perinatal & Neonatal Nursing · doi:10.1097/jpn.0000000000000658 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Hatch, B., Galland, B. C., Gray, A. R., Taylor, R. W., Sayers, R., Lawrence, J., & Taylor, B. J. (2019) · Sleep Health · doi:10.1016/j.sleh.2019.03.002 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
A Proposed Nursing Theory: Infant Sleep and Development
Keys, E., & Benzies, K. (2018) · Nursing Science Quarterly · doi:10.1177/0894318418774947 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Music for Sleep and Wake-Up: An Empirical Study
Lee, T., Moon, S.-E., Baek, J., Lee, J. S., & Kim, S. (2019) · IEEE Access · doi:10.1109/access.2019.2945404 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
“One direction of research focuses on monitoring users during sleep mainly for diagnostic purposes [1]–[6], while another direction of research attempts to help people improve quality of sleep [7]–[9].”
BackgroundEvaluation of Sleep Practices and Knowledge in Neonatal Healthcare
de Groot, E. R., Ryan, M. A., Sam, C., Verschuren, O. W., Alderliesten, T., Dudink, J., & van den Hoogen, A. (2023) · Advances in Neonatal Care · doi:10.1097/anc.0000000000001102 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
The Mother-Infant Sleep Nexus: Night-Time Experiences in Early Infancy and Later Outcomes
Ball, H. L. (2019) · Bioarchaeology and social theory · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-27393-4_9 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Manjuri, A. E., & Latheef, F. (2016) · International Journal of Research in Ayurveda and Pharmacy · doi:10.7897/2277-4343.075204 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
“Back massage 10 (9-12) 9 (8-11) 8 (7-10) 7 (7-9) 41.”
Sandtrø, H. P., Glavin, K., Størksen, H. T., Holter, M. T. S., & Drozd, F. (2022) · Journal of Clinical Nursing · doi:10.1111/jocn.16586 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Skúladóttir, A., Sigurðardóttir, A. Ó., & Svavarsdóttir, E. K. (2021) · Nordic journal of nursing research · doi:10.1177/20571585211044503 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
“Moreover, Kempler et al.(10) conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on psychological sleep interventions, with nine studies in the review.”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialAn Educational Intervention for Improving Infant Sleep Duration—Why Won’t You Sleep, Baby?
Hiscock, H. (2019) · JAMA Network Open · doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.18061 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Bauer, A., Grégoire, A., Salehi, N., Weng, J. Y., & Knapp, M. R. J. (2025) · Value in Health · doi:10.1016/j.jval.2025.01.016 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
The Effectiveness of Sleep Training: Fact or Fiction?
Cassels, T. G., & Rosier, J. G. (2022) · Clinical Lactation · doi:10.1891/cl-2021-0004 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Matsunaka, E., Ooshige, N., Ueki, S., & Morokuma, S. (2024) · JBI Evidence Synthesis · doi:10.11124/jbies-23-00274 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
High level evidence does not support first wave behavioural approaches to parent-infant sleep
Douglas, P. (2015) · Sleep Medicine Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.smrv.2015.10.007 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Liebregts, H., Metse, A. P., Steele, A. R., DeMott, J., MacMillan, K. K., Marriott, R., & Almeida, R. A. (2025) · Early Human Development · doi:10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2025.106346 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Søvnvansker hos barn: Ny metode kan hjelpe
Størksen, H. T., Leksbø, T. S., Drozd, F., Sandtrø, H. P., & Slinning, K. (2022) · Sykepleien Forskning · doi:10.4220/sykepleiens.2022.88549 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Rigney, G., Keys, E., Johnson, M., Paul, J., & Corkum, P. V. (2021) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781108682053.016 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Smiley, A., Cullin, J. M., Kaschalk, E., & He, K. (2017) · European Journal of Nutrition · doi:10.1007/s00394-017-1428-9 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Stanzel, K., Honda, T., Tran, T. D., & Fisher, J. (2024) · Infant and Child Development · doi:10.1002/icd.2554 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Postpartum Depressive Symptoms among Bangladeshi Women: A Hospital-Based Cross-Sectional Study
Saha, B. R., Tohan, M. M., Zaman, S., Moon, M. I., Islam, M. A., Howlader, M. H., Kundu, S., & Rahman, M. A. (2025) · Dr Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Journal · doi:10.4103/dshmj.dshmj_76_24 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Rouzafzoon, M., & Farnam, F. (2025) · Sleep Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2025.106675 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Nurturing care for early childhood sleep interventions with tailored care: the NEST Approach
Boran, P., & DelRosso, L. M. (2026) · Sleep Medicine Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.smrv.2026.102241 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Infant sleep interventions with sleep measurements using actigraphy: A systematic review
Chae, S., Yeo, J., Han, S., Chung, N., & Hwang, J. (2023) · International Journal of Nursing Practice · doi:10.1111/ijn.13196 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Ghani, S. B., Granados, K., Wills, C. C. A., Alfonso‐Miller, P., Buxton, O. M., Ruiz, J. M., Parthasarathy, S., Patel, S. R., Molina, P., Seixas, A. A., et al. (2023) · Behavioral Sleep Medicine · doi:10.1080/15402002.2023.2279308 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
“Furthermore, poor sleep quality may contribute to a number of psychological disturbances including insomnia (Kempler et al., 2016), depression (Becker et al., 2017), anxiety (Gould et al., 2016) and suicide (Bernert et al., 2014).”
BackgroundKahn, M., Whittall, H., & Tikotzky, L. (2024) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-323-82759-1.00023-0 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Xiao, Y., Wang, B., Li, S., Jiang, Q., Zhang, H., & Rozelle, S. (2025) · Journal of Pediatric Psychology · doi:10.1093/jpepsy/jsaf090 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
“Several meta-analyses have found that interventions focusing on social-psychological sleep support increase total nighttime sleep duration for infants under 12months but have no effect on reducing the frequency of night awakenings (Douglas & Hill, 2013; Kempler et al., 2016; Owens et al., 1999).”
Tungland, B. C. (2018) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-814649-1.00012-0 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Kempler, L., Sharpe, L., & Bartlett, D. J. (2015) · Sleep Medicine Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.smrv.2015.11.001 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Self-citationResponse to “Behavioral Management of Sleep Problems in Infants Under 6 Months – What Works?”
Douglas, P. (2016) · Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics · doi:10.1097/dbp.0000000000000311 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Kahn, M., Barnett, N. R., & Gradisar, M. (2023) · The Journal of Pediatrics · doi:10.1016/j.jpeds.2023.01.011 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Questioning the effectiveness of behavioral sleep interventions for infants
Pattinson, C. L., Edmed, S. L., Smith, S. S., & Douglas, P. (2023) · The Journal of Pediatrics · doi:10.1016/j.jpeds.2023.01.012 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Bindt, C. (2018) · Monatsschrift Kinderheilkunde · doi:10.1007/s00112-018-0572-5
Integrating Acceptance and Commitment Therapy with other interventions
Whittingham, K., & Coyne, L. W. (2019) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-814669-9.00014-x
Brexanolone injection for post-partum depression treatment
Tufts, J. A. (2019) · The Lancet · doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(19)30727-5
Anormalidades comportamentais no puerpério
Rennó, J., & Rocha, R. (2019) · Femina · doi:10.61622/0100-7254473201907
Ou, C. H. K., Hall, W. A., Rodney, P., & Stremler, R. (2021) · Research Square · doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-734233/v1
Kramer, M. S. (2021) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-74765-7_12
(2021) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-323-68013-4.00080-8
Jackson, S., & Honaker, S. M. (2019) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781316798096.018
- Authors
- Kempler, L., Sharpe, L., Miller, C. B., & Bartlett, D. J.
- Affiliations
- The University of Sydney (AU)
- Woolcock Institute of Medical Research (AU)
- Corresponding author
- Kempler, Liora
- Venue
- Sleep Medicine Reviews
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2016-10
- Volume
- 29
- Pages
- 15-22
- ISSN
- 1087-0792 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2120815927
- Cited by
- 113
- References
- 46
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 13 · 2021: 17 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 11 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 3
- FWCI
- 1.63
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Sleep Medicine Reviews (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- BUPA Health Foundation
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › Pharmacy › Infant Health and Development
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Sleep and related disorders
- Keywords
- infant sleep, maternal mood, postpartum depression, psychosocial interventions, sleep interventions, perinatal period
- MeSH terms
- Affect, Female, Humans, Infant, Mothers, Sleep, Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic, Postpartum Period
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
