0851 Sleep Disturbance But Not Sleep Duration Is Associated With Perceived Stress And Self-esteem In Postpartum Women

Abstract Introduction Healthy sleep is known to contribute to psychosocial well-being. Pregnancy and postpartum could have profound influences on women’s psychosocial well-being related to physiological changes and interrupted sleep due to caring for the infant. The purpose of this study was to determine the associations between self-reported sleep characteristics and psychosocial well-being. Methods Forty-seven women who delivered a singleton infant after ≥ 37 weeks of gestation were interviewed at 6-8 weeks, 4 months, and 6 months after delivery. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to obtain sleep duration, sleep disturbance, and the global PSQI score, and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale total score was used to assess daytime sleepiness. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, Perceived Stress Scale, and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale were used to assess psychosocial well-being, and a summary score of each instrument was calculated. Results The self-reported nightly sleep duration decreased over time (535 ± 95, 505 ± 78, 488 ± 66 minutes, respectively at each timepoint, mean ± SD, p = 0.007). Other sleep characteristics did not change. There were also no significant changes over time in the scores of depressive symptoms, stress, or self-esteem. At 6-8 weeks postpartum, sleep disturbance was associated with stress (r = 0.32, p = 0.026) and self-esteem (r = -0.38, p = 0.008) so that women who had greater sleep disturbances perceived greater stress and lower self-esteem. These associations did not exist 4 months or 6 months after delivery. Sleep duration, global PSQI score, and sleepiness were not associated with any of the psychosocial measures. Conclusion Sleep disturbance is an important correlate of psychosocial well-being in early postpartum. The decreased sleep duration likely indicates recovering from pregnancy and delivery, and adapting to routine lifestyle. Support National Institute On Minority Health And Health Disparities of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R21MD012740