The Role of Attachment, Maternal Scent and Home Environment on Infants’ Quality of Sleep in Day Care context: A multiple case study approach

Objective: The present exploratory study investigated the role of attachment, maternal scent, and quality of home environment on infant’s quality of sleep in day care. The sample consisted of three infants, ranging between four and seven months of age. Mothers completed questionnaires regarding general information about themselves and the usual behavior of their infants. Interaction between mother and infant was assessed through the Attachment During Stress Scale (ADS). The Infant/Toddler HOME (IT-HOME) was used to measure the quality of home environment. An experimental procedure was conducted to evaluate infants’ quality of sleep. T-shirts infused with their own maternal odor, another mother odor, and neutral odors were placed in the cribs during their morning nap. Video recordings were coded to assess the crying before sleep, total cry time, sleep duration, and caregiver intervention in each condition. The three securely attached infants involved in the study cried less before...Show moreObjective: The present exploratory study investigated the role of attachment, maternal scent, and quality of home environment on infant’s quality of sleep in day care. The sample consisted of three infants, ranging between four and seven months of age. Mothers completed questionnaires regarding general information about themselves and the usual behavior of their infants. Interaction between mother and infant was assessed through the Attachment During Stress Scale (ADS). The Infant/Toddler HOME (IT-HOME) was used to measure the quality of home environment. An experimental procedure was conducted to evaluate infants’ quality of sleep. T-shirts infused with their own maternal odor, another mother odor, and neutral odors were placed in the cribs during their morning nap. Video recordings were coded to assess the crying before sleep, total cry time, sleep duration, and caregiver intervention in each condition. The three securely attached infants involved in the study cried less before sleep and during the entire nap when exposed to the maternal odor, either from their own or other mothers, as compared with the neutral scent. However, they cried even less with the other mother odor compared with their own mother scent. In terms of sleep duration, two of the infants slept more with their own mother scent. The last baby, who showed a different pattern of sleep duration, had the lowest score on HOME. Several explanations are advanced to explain the preliminary findings and suggestions are made for future research.Show less

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The Role of Attachment, Maternal Scent and Home Environment on Infants’ Quality of Sleep in Day Care context: A multiple case study approach