7 - (IOP 10) Postpartum Sleep and Relationship Satisfaction Among Black Mothers

Sleep difficulties in the first months postpartum are common and can adversely affect multiple areas of life, including parents’ romantic relationship satisfaction. However, empirical literature linking different indicators of sleep postpartum to concurrent and prospective relationship satisfaction is limited. Moreover, there has been minimal attention to these associations among populations at greater risk for postpartum sleep difficulties, including Black families. To address these gaps, the current study examines subjective and objective maternal sleep and maternal reports of infant sleep as predictors of relationship satisfaction among first-time Black mothers.

Black mothers (N = 107) in romantic relationships from a larger study of the transition to parenthood were included. Mothers were on average 24-years-old, received Medicaid (80%), and had a median high school education. At 8 weeks postpartum, mothers reported on their own sleep difficulties (frequency and impact) and on their infant’s nighttime awakenings and time in bed. Mothers also wore an accelerometer for 7 nights to provide estimates of total sleep time and sleep efficiency. Mothers reported on their relationship satisfaction at 8 and 16 weeks postpartum. Linear regression models tested associations between different sleep indicators at week 8 postpartum and relationship satisfaction at both 8 and 16 weeks postpartum.

Results indicated that mothers who reported that their own sleep difficulties were more impactful to their functioning at week 8 reported lower relationship satisfaction at week 16. Additionally, mothers who had longer nighttime sleep at week 8 as measured with actigraphy reported higher relationship satisfaction at both week 8 and 16 postpartum. Infant sleep was not significantly associated with relationship satisfaction.

These findings highlight that during this critical period of adjustment for families, both subjective and objective maternal postpartum sleep were associated with mothers’ relationship satisfaction 8 weeks later. Well-documented disparities in postpartum sleep difficulties among Black families stemming from systemic racism may thus create relational difficulties for these families as well. Interventions that promote better postpartum sleep, enhance relationship functioning, and address systemic stressors can support the well-being of Black families across the postpartum period.