Oral Presentation International Association of the Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups 2022 - Hosted by ADIPS

Maternal depression and infant sleep in women with gestational diabetes (#17)

Leah Gilbert 1 2 , Vania Sandoz 3 , Dan Y Quansah 2 , Jardena J Puder 2 , Antje Horsch 3 4
  1. Faculty of Medicine and Health, Nepean Clinical School, Penrith, NSW, Australia
  2. Woman-Mother-Child Department, Obstetric service, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland
  3. Faculty of Biology and Medicine, Lausanne Perinatal Research Group, Institute of Higher Education and Research in Healthcare, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland
  4. Woman-Mother-Child Department, Neonatology Service, Lausanne University Hospital, Switzerland, Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland

Background/Rationale

 

Compared to healthy pregnant women, women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) have higher symptoms of depression in the perinatal period. Maternal depression symptoms have been associated with infant sleep difficulties during the first year postpartum in the general population. However, this is still to be studied in women with GDM.

 

Aims

 

1) to assess prospective and cross-sectional associations between maternal symptoms of depression during their first first GDM booking in pregnancy, at 6-8 weeks postpartum, and at one year postpartum and infant sleep outcomes at one year postpartum.

2) to assess the association between maternal sleep perception and infant sleep defined as being above or below the mean recommended night-time sleep duration in Switzerland through a secondary analysis.

 

Methods

 

The population consisted of 95 women with GDM enrolled as a control group in the MySweetheart trial (NCT02890693) and their infants. The predictor consisted of maternal symptoms of depression that were assessed using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale at the first GDM booking during pregnancy, at 6-8 weeks, and at one year postpartum. The outcomes were infant sleep variables assessed through the Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaire at one year postpartum. Important covariates, such as socio-demographic and medical information were also collected and integrated in the regressions.

 

Results

 

Maternal symptoms of depression at the first GDM booking were inversely associated with infant nocturnal sleep duration at one year postpartum (β=-5.9, p=.046). Higher maternal symptoms of depression at 6-8 weeks postpartum were prospectively associated with lower infant nocturnal sleep duration (β=-9.35, p=.016). Higher maternal symptoms of depression at one year postpartum were also inversely associated with the perception that their infant’s sleep was not a problem at all (β=-0.05, p=.006). The secondary analysis demonstrated that even when mothers considered their infant’s sleep as not a problem at all, 34.7% of their infants slept less than the Swiss recommended mean amount for nocturnal sleep duration.

 

Discussion

 

As depression has an impact on infant sleep in the GDM population, an emphasis should be placed on providing interventions to reduce symptoms of depression in these women and on informing mothers on the importance of sleep duration in their infants.