MATERNAL WELL-BEING AND SLEEP-WAKE BEHAVIORS IN INFANTS - AN INTERVENTION USING MATERNAL ODOR

The development of an organized sleep-wake cycle in young infants is i nfluenced by characteristics of both the infant and the parent, and by the nature of their dyadic interaction. Sleep-wake state organization is influenced first by homeostatic biological regulation, and later b y socioemotional regulation. This report describes a feasibility study using an olfactory intervention designed to bridge the transition fro m physiologic to social regulation in sleep-wake state organization. A sample of 21 mother-infant dyads participated in an one year longitud inal study, after random assignment to either an experimental conditio n with a maternal odor-laden sleepaid, representational sleepaid (RSA) or a control condition with a neutral sleepaid, Sham Control (SC). Se lf-report questionnaires measured maternal psychological well-being, a nd video taping recorded infant sleep-wake behaviors repeatedly throug hout the first year. RSA mothers reported significantly better levels of well-being throughout the year. At six and twelve months, mothers w ho reported more depressive feelings exhibited different nighttime int eraction patterns. Infant sleep-wake state organization and sleepaid u se changed significantly during the first year but were not altered by the intervention.