Impact of sleep quality on quality of life of caregivers of infants aged one to 23 months: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Objectives: this study aimed to assess the quality of life and the relationship between the sleep of parents and primary caregivers of children under two years old. Methods: a cross-sectional study was conducted with parents, mothers, or caregivers of infants aged one to 23 months, using online administration of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) to assess sleep quality and the WHOQOL-BREF to assess quality of life. Results: the vast majority of the 456 respondents were mothers (97.6%)and primary caregivers of the child (97.6%). Among the participants, 76.5% reported having a good or very good quality of life, which was not influenced by the age of the child. The vast majority (83.4%) of respondents had a PSQI score above 5, indicating poor sleep quality. Sleep quality showed a significant negative correlation with most domains of the WHOQOL-BREF. Conclusions: mothers of children under two years old experience poor sleep quality, which negatively impacts their quality of life. Healthcare professionals should pay special attention to the physical and mental health of caregivers of young children, and public policies related to parental leave rights and labor rights should take such results into account.