Impact of an Infant Sleep Intervention on Infant Sleep and Maternal Wellbeing: A Cluster Controlled Trial

婴儿睡眠问题和产后抑郁症在澳大利亚社区很常见。超过三分之一的澳大利亚人报告说，他们的婴儿在出生后六个月内存在睡眠问题，而10-15%的澳大利亚妇女在孩子出生后的第一年内会经历抑郁症。婴儿睡眠问题和产后抑郁症都与严重的后果有关，包括虐待儿童、儿童行为问题、母亲的身体和情绪问题、家庭压力和家庭破裂。这项研究建立在社区儿童健康中心，皇家儿童医院，墨尔本的研究人员以前的工作。在这项工作中，一个简短的行为干预显着减少婴儿睡眠问题和产妇抑郁症的症状，特别是抑郁的母亲。干预包括控制哭泣和消除睡眠联系，例如婴儿依赖于入睡的假人。与未接受干预的母亲相比，接受干预的母亲报告睡眠问题减少20%，抑郁症状减少45%。干预还改善了产妇的睡眠质量和数量，减少了对专业睡眠服务的需求。这是母亲可以接受的，成本低，对家庭的破坏最小-与目前主要针对产后抑郁症的许多战略形成对比。这项试验旨在确定维多利亚州妇幼保健护士在其常规实践环境中提供的类似干预措施是否可以复制这些重要的益处。

Infant sleep problems and postnatal depression are common in the Australian community. Over a third of Australians report a problem with their infant's sleep in the second six months of life whilst 10-15% of Australian women will experience an episode of depression in the first year after their child is born. Both infant sleep problems and postnatal depression have been associated with serious outcomes including child abuse, child behaviour problems, maternal physical and emotional problems, family stress and family breakdown. This study builds on previous work conducted by researchers at the Centre for Community Child Health, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne. In this work, a brief behavioural intervention significantly decreased infant sleep problems and symptoms of maternal depression, particularly for depressed mothers. The intervention consisted of controlled crying and removal of sleep associations such as a dummy which the infant had become dependent upon to fall asleep. Mothers who received the intervention reported 20% fewer sleep problems and a 45% reduction in depression symptoms compared with mothers who did not receive the intervention. The interention also improved maternal sleep quality and quantity and reduced the need for professional sleep services. It was acceptable to mothers, of low cost and was minimally disruptive to families - in contrast to many current strategies directed primarily at postnatal depression. This trial aims to determine whther a similar intervention delivered by Victorian Maternal and Child health nurses within their usual practice settings can replicate these important benefits.