The role of fathers' sleep quality and white matter microstructure on the adjustment to parenthood

项目总结/摘要 向为人父母的过渡是一个深刻转变的时期，在新的社会中往往是脆弱的。 父母虽然大多数关于这种转变的研究都集中在母亲身上，但新父亲也必须适应 成为父母许多父母的睡眠不足和睡眠质量差，这可能会增加心理 新父母的健康风险和降低生育行为的质量。之前在非母体样本中的工作 表明睡眠质量可能与大脑的结构连接有关，如在白色中测量的那样。 物质微观结构（WMM）。WMM的低效率连接也与心理健康有关 问题该项目将研究产后睡眠质量在第一次父亲和测试协会与他们的 产后心理健康和WMM。该项目还研究了产后WMM作为调解人之间 睡眠质量和心理健康症状在过渡到父母。该项目从一个 现有的对第一次为人父母的纵向研究从产前到产后， 包括神经影像学。 研究目的是：（1）检查产后睡眠质量，控制产前睡眠质量， 影响初为人父的心理适应;（2）调查睡眠质量是否影响初为人父的心理适应。 与产后白色物质显微结构（WMM）在第一次父亲;（3）检查 产后WMM在产后睡眠质量与父亲睡眠质量关系中的中介作用 适应亲子关系。研究结果可以深入了解睡眠对父亲大脑的作用， 心理健康和知情干预措施，促进对父母身份的调整。拟议项目将 支持申请人在生物行为研究方法的培训，成为一个跨学科的健康和 家庭研究员。

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The transition to parenthood is a period of profound transformation and often vulnerability in new parents. Though most of the research on this transition has focused on mothers, new fathers must also adapt to parenthood. Many parents experience sleep deprivation and poor sleep quality, which may increase mental health risks of new parents and reduce the quality of caregiving behavior. Prior work in non-parent samples suggests that sleep quality may be linked to the structural connectivity of the brain, as measured within white matter microstructure (WMM). Less efficient connectivity of WMM has also been associated with mental health problems. This project will examine postpartum sleep quality in first-time fathers and test associations with their postpartum mental health and WMM. The project also examines postpartum WMM as a mediator between sleep quality and mental health symptoms during the transition to parenthood. This project draws from an existing longitudinal study of first-time parents followed from the prenatal to postpartum periods that incorporated neuroimaging. Study aims are to: (1) Examine how postpartum sleep quality, controlling for prenatal sleep quality, affects psychological adjustment to parenthood in new fathers; (2) Investigate whether sleep quality is associated with postpartum white matter microstructure (WMM) among first-time fathers; (3) Examine the mediating role of postpartum WMM on the relationship between postpartum sleep quality and fathers’ adjustment to parenthood. Study findings can provide insight into the role of sleep on the paternal brain and mental health and inform interventions facilitating the adjustment to parenthood. The proposed project will support the applicant’s training in biobehavioral research methods to become an interdisciplinary health and family studies researcher.