Mothers were less likely to be depressed after a structured behavioural intervention for infant sleep problems
H Hiscock
Dr H Hiscock, Royal Children’s Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia; harriet.hiscock@rch.org.au
QUESTION
Is a structured behavioural intervention (SBI) for infant sleep problems effective for maternal depression, parenting style, and child mental health and sleep outcomes at 2 years?
METHODS
Design:
cluster randomised controlled trial (RCT).
Allocation:
concealed.
Blinding:
blinded {families, nurses, data collectors, and data analysts}.*
Follow-up period:
{17 months}.*
Setting:
49 maternal and child health centres in 6 government areas in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Patients:
328 mothers (mean age 33 y) who reported infant sleep problems (mean infant age 7.4 mo, 54% boys). Infants born at < 32 weeks’ gestation and mothers who did not know sufficient English to complete questionnaires were excluded.
Intervention:
25 centres (n = 174) were allocated to SBIs to improve infant sleep, and 24 centres (n = 154) were allocated to usual well-child care. In the SBI …
