Sleep Characteristics in Mothers of Children With Developmental Disabilities

Impaired sleep can contribute to conditions such as cardiometabolic disorders, depression, and decreased immune function. Mothers of children with developmental disabilities (DDs) may be at greater risk for impaired sleep due to the sleep problems of their children. This cross-sectional study described the self-reported sleep characteristics of mothers of children (ages 6-12) with DDs by using a sleep diary and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) as quantitative and qualitative measures of sleep in these mothers. The Consensus Sleep Diary was modified to ascertain how the child's sleep and needs for care during the night impacted the mother's sleep. The results showed that mothers had short sleep duration (nearly 40% slept <7 hours per night), woke up an average of 2.2 times per night (most commonly due to caregiving needs of children), and had poor sleep quality (mean PSQI global score of 7.9 [SD=4.8]). The sleep problems of children with DDs may influence mothers' sleep.