Mother and infant associations between chronotype, sleep quality, maternal mental health and child development
circadian rhythms, infant, child development, sleep, mental health
The study of circadian rhythms throughout development and their physiological and behavioral impact at early stages is still scarce.We investigated herein the potential association between infant´s chronotype and development and their correlation with maternal mental health state, sleep disruptions and socioeconomic status(n = 111 dyads). The infants' sleep phase was partially explained by the mother's chronotype and sleep quality. The mother's sleep quality was also associated with total infant sleep time. Moreover, infants with atypical development presented a higher sleep latency. These findings highlight the relevance of healthcare interventions for better sleep hygiene during pregnancy and at early stages to support infants and their mothers.