Maternal prenatal depressive symptoms and infant sleep problems: the role of infant temperament and sex

Objectives: We aimed to analyze whether (1) infant temperament mediates the impact of maternal prenatal depressive symptoms on infant sleep problems and (2) the mediation role of infant temperament was moderated by the infant’s sex. Methods: The sample was comprised of 172 mother-infant dyads. Mothers completed self-reported measures of prenatal and postnatal depressive symptoms, infant temperament (negative affectivity, surgency/extraversion, and orienting regulation), and sleep problems. Results: While controlling for maternal postnatal depressive symptoms, our results revealed that (1) infant negative affectivity at two weeks partially mediated the impact of maternal prenatal depressive symptoms on sleep anxiety at six months, and (2) this mediation is independent of the infant’s sex. Conclusions: Our findings provided evidence that negative affectivity can be an early specific marker of sleep anxiety and can partially explain the negative impact of maternal prenatal depressive symptoms on further sleep problems in the infant.