0743 Maternal Experiences of Gender Discrimination Are Associated with Worse Postpartum Sleep

• Published in: Sleep (New York, N.Y.) Vol. 46; no. Supplement_1; p. A327
• Main Authors: Rayport, Yael, Barrera, Ana, Thakur, Shambhavi, Barnett, Natalie, Lucchini, Maristella
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 29.05.2023
• ISSN: 0161-8105; 1550-9109
• DOI: 10.1093/sleep/zsad077.0743

Abstract Introduction Many new mothers experience poor sleep postpartum, which has been found to increase the risk of negative cardiovascular health and mental health outcomes. A few studies have found that experiences of racial/ethnic discrimination are associated with poor maternal sleep, but less is known about the effect of discrimination in other domains. Previous studies have also not accounted for the effect of infant sleep on maternal sleep, which is known to be a major influence in the first year after birth. This study aims to investigate the association between gender discrimination (GD) and postpartum maternal sleep, controlling for infant sleep. Methods The cohort comprised 506 mother-child dyads from the customer base of the Nanit Smart Baby Monitor. At 6–12 months postpartum (Mean±SD: 9.2±1.8), maternal experiences of GD (Everyday Discrimination Scale), perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale (PSS)), and subjective sleep (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index) were assessed. Objective measures of infant sleep were obtained using the Nanit Smart Baby-Monitor. Logistic and linear regressions estimated the associations between maternal experiences of GD and maternal sleep, controlling for PSS, household income, infant age and sex, and objective infant sleep duration and wakings. Results 34.6% of mothers reported experiencing GD. The average PSS score was 15 (± 6.7). Infants had an average sleep duration of 10h (± 1.2) and an average of 3.1 (± 1.4) nighttime sleep wakings. Maternal experiences of GD were associated with shorter sleep duration (OR=1.67, CI=1.07-2.64) and more sleep disturbances (β = 0.77, CI= 0.04-1.49). The PSS was associated with more sleep disturbances (β = 0.11, CI= 0.05-0.16). Objective infant sleep duration was associated with subjective maternal sleep duration (OR=0.57, CI=0.47-0.69). Conclusion Maternal experiences of GD are associated with worse postpartum maternal sleep, suggesting that sleep could serve as a biological pathway relating GD and postpartum health. Future research is needed to investigate the long-term implications of maternal experiences of GD on maternal-fetal health. Support (if any) This research was supported by the Developmental Psychobiology Parent Infant Award and Nanit