Maternal Sleep Quality and Infant Cognitive Development: Potential Mediating Roles of Maternal Inflammatory Processes, Preterm Birth, and Infant Sleep Quality Restricted; Files Only

Abstract

Maternal prenatal sleep quality has been implicated as a predictor of birth outcomes and child cognitive development, and African American women suffer from poor sleep quality more than women of other racial identities. Few studies have investigated the intergenerational effects of poor maternal sleep quality on childbirth and development. The current study sought to expand the conceptual framework by using a longitudinal design to investigate several potential mediators in the association between maternal prenatal sleep quality and infant cognitive development. Our sample of 142 African American mother-child pairs were assessed from pregnancy though 18 months postpartum. Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM) results revealed that maternal reports of disturbed sleep quality during the prenatal period were associated with poorer cognitive development in the social emotional and expressive language domains of the Bayley. None of the proposed mediators were significantly associated with maternal sleep quality or cognitive development. Further investigation of the mechanisms associated with the intergenerational impacts of maternal prenatal sleep quality on cognition in African American children is warranted.

Table of Contents

ABSTRACT…………………………………………………………………………….

2

INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………....

4

Preterm Birth……………………………………………………………………

6

Maternal Inflammatory Response………...…………………………………….

Infant Sleep Quality…………………………………………………………….

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THE PRESENT STUDY…………………………………………………..…………...

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Specific Aims…………………………………………………………………...

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METHODS……………………………………………………………………………..

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Participants……………………………………………………………………...

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Procedures………………………………………………………………………

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Measures…………………………………………………………………...........

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RESULTS………………………………………………………………………………

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DISCUSSION…………………………………………………………………………..

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REFERENCES………………………………………………………………………….

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TABLES AND FIGURES……………………………………………………………...

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About this Master's Thesis

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School	Laney Graduate School
Department	Psychology
Subfield / Discipline	Clinical Psychology
Degree	M.A.
Submission	Master's Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Clinical
Keyword	development, risk factors, African American
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Brennan, Patricia, Emory University
Committee Members	Goodman, Sherryl, Emory University Rodman, Hillary, Emory University

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