Abstract
Purpose: Sleep disturbance is a common experience among families during the postpartum period and can impair parental adjustment and infant care. Few studies have examined sleep quality over time within a family dyad. This study aimed to investigate the sleep trajectories of mothers and fathers from the early postpartum period to three months postpartum
Methods: We conducted a prospective follow-up of mother-father dyads at 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months postpartum. Inclusion criteria were age ≥18 years and a singleton, full-term pregnancy; parents or infants with high-risk complications were excluded. Demographic and health information were collected using a structured questionnaire, and sleep quality was assessed with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Descriptive statistics and repeated-measures ANOVA were used.
Results: A total of 154 mother-father dyads participated in the study. Mothers’ mean age was 33.29 years (SD = 4.43); fathers’ was 35.23 years (SD = 4.89). Most held a university degree or higher (mothers: 87.0%; fathers: 81.8%). Forty-nine percent of mothers were employed full-time versus 85.1% of fathers. Most were first-time parents (64.9%); 59.7% of mothers had a vaginal delivery. Across all time points, mothers consistently reported poorer sleep than fathers. At 1 week, mothers’ PSQI scores were higher (M = 7.81, SD = 3.56) than fathers’ (M = 6.08, SD = 3.09; p < .001); differences persisted at 1 month (M = 8.51 vs. 6.32; p < .001) and 3 months (M = 7.40 vs. 5.93; p < .001). Among mothers, there was a significant quadratic time effect (p = .001), with peaking at 1 month and improvement by 3 months; fathers showed no significant time effect.
Discussion and Conclusion: Mothers experienced significantly poorer and fluctuating sleep quality trajectories than fathers during the postpartum period, peaking at one month postpartum. Findings support early sleep screening and family-centered interventions to promote maternal sleep health and overall family well-being.
Notes
References:
1. Pan, X., Chen, Y., Chen, C., Chen, J., Wang, J., Chen, Y., ... & Chen, X. (2025). Dual trajectory of insomnia and depressive symptoms in women from early pregnancy to 6 months postpartum: a prospective cohort study. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 25(1), 582.
2. Wang, M., Qian, J., Cho, Y., Guo, Z., Yu, X., & Li, J. (2025). Trajectories of sleep health during the perinatal period: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Sleep, zsaf095.
3. Mao, F., El Marroun, H., Kocevska, D., & Luik, A. I. (2025). Maternal sleep trajectories from preconception to postpartum in a population-based cohort: The Generation R next study. Sleep Medicine, 136, 106791.
4. Fu, T., Wang, C., Yan, J., Zeng, Q., & Ma, C. (2023). Relationship between antenatal sleep quality and depression in perinatal women: A comprehensive meta-analysis of observational studies. Journal of affective disorders, 327, 38-45.
5. Li, Q., Yang, S., Wang, Y., & Sansiriphun, N. (2025). Fathers’ experience in supporting the mother and infant during the postpartum period: a qualitative systematic review. Midwifery, 104429.
Sigma Membership
Lambda Beta at-Large
Type
Poster
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Other
Keywords:
Health Equity or Social Determinants of Health, Primary Care, Public and Community Health, Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, Sleep Quality, Sleep Interruptions, Parents, Mothers, Fathers
Recommended Citation
Kuo, Shu-Yu and Lai, Hsin-Yi, "Sleep Quality Trajectories in Mothers and Fathers During the Postpartum Period" (2026). International Nursing Research Congress (INRC). 66.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2026/posters_2026/66
Conference Name
37th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Conference Year
2026
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2026-08-06
Sleep Quality Trajectories in Mothers and Fathers During the Postpartum Period
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Purpose: Sleep disturbance is a common experience among families during the postpartum period and can impair parental adjustment and infant care. Few studies have examined sleep quality over time within a family dyad. This study aimed to investigate the sleep trajectories of mothers and fathers from the early postpartum period to three months postpartum
Methods: We conducted a prospective follow-up of mother-father dyads at 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months postpartum. Inclusion criteria were age ≥18 years and a singleton, full-term pregnancy; parents or infants with high-risk complications were excluded. Demographic and health information were collected using a structured questionnaire, and sleep quality was assessed with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Descriptive statistics and repeated-measures ANOVA were used.
Results: A total of 154 mother-father dyads participated in the study. Mothers’ mean age was 33.29 years (SD = 4.43); fathers’ was 35.23 years (SD = 4.89). Most held a university degree or higher (mothers: 87.0%; fathers: 81.8%). Forty-nine percent of mothers were employed full-time versus 85.1% of fathers. Most were first-time parents (64.9%); 59.7% of mothers had a vaginal delivery. Across all time points, mothers consistently reported poorer sleep than fathers. At 1 week, mothers’ PSQI scores were higher (M = 7.81, SD = 3.56) than fathers’ (M = 6.08, SD = 3.09; p < .001); differences persisted at 1 month (M = 8.51 vs. 6.32; p < .001) and 3 months (M = 7.40 vs. 5.93; p < .001). Among mothers, there was a significant quadratic time effect (p = .001), with peaking at 1 month and improvement by 3 months; fathers showed no significant time effect.
Discussion and Conclusion: Mothers experienced significantly poorer and fluctuating sleep quality trajectories than fathers during the postpartum period, peaking at one month postpartum. Findings support early sleep screening and family-centered interventions to promote maternal sleep health and overall family well-being.
Description
This prospective follow-up study investigated sleep trajectories of mothers and fathers from early postpartum period to three months. The results showed that mothers consistently reported poorer and fluctuating sleep than fathers, with sleep disturbance peaking at one month postpartum. Findings highlight the need for early screening and family-centered strategies to improve maternal sleep health and support family well-being.