Evaluating Caregivers Arrangement of Infant Sleeping Environments in the Home

• Published in: Journal of applied behavior analysis Vol. 56; no. 2; pp. 483 - 493
• Main Authors: Mery, Jacqueline N, Day-Watkins, Jessica, Schnell, Lauren K, Vladescu, Jason C
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Wiley 01.04.2023
• Subjects: Adult; Caregiver Child Relationship; Caregiver Training; Caregivers; Child; Child Caregivers; Community Education; Compliance (Psychology); Family Environment; Humans; Infant; Infant Care; Infant Mortality; Infant, Newborn; Infants; Sleep; Sudden Infant Death - prevention & control; behavior skills training; infant care; contingency management; infant sleep-related death; safe sleep
• ISSN: 0021-8855; 1938-3703
• DOI: 10.1002/jaba.978

Sleep-related infant deaths are one of the top causes of infant mortality in the United States. A few behavior analytic studies have examined behavioral skills training to teach adults to arrange safe infant sleeping environments. These studies were conducted in an analogue environment, and no data were collected outside the training setting. The purpose of the current study was to replicate and extend the extant literature. We taught caregivers to arrange safe infant sleeping environments in a community-based organization. Thereafter, we assessed the feasibility and effectiveness of a technology-based contingency management procedure to examine caregivers' adherence with arrangement of a safe sleeping environment for their newborns across a 2-week period. As in previous studies, behavioral skills training resulted in positive outcomes, and follow-up data suggested that the technology-based contingency management procedure may be a promising approach to promoting adherence with infant sleeping environment recommendations.