The Impact of a Behavioral Intervention on Parent Sleep Hygiene Behaviors

Abstract

Objectives: A longitudinal randomized control trial (RCT) was conducted to determine whether a sleep hygiene intervention improved long-term child sleep. This study assessed whether the intervention changed child night time media usage in the intervention group relative to the control group, as well as the frequency of parents’ sleep inducement strategy usage from baseline to three months. Methods: Linear regressions applying the Difference in Differences (DiD) model were conducted to examine whether differences between groups existed due to the intervention beyond the passing of time for child media use and parent sleep inducement strategy use. Results: Two sleep strategies, adult stays out of room, and adult lying down with child, showed statistical significance of differences between the intervention and control groups across time (p <0.05 and p <0.01). Although improvements were seen in the intervention group for other primary outcomes, no statistical significance was found at these time points. Discussion: This study sought to determine whether a sleep hygiene intervention could influence positive parental behavior mediating their child’s media use and the sleep inducement strategies used at bedtime. At these time points, the intervention did influence two sleep strategies, adult stays out of room, and adult lying down with child. It will be important to assess how the intervention impacts these primary outcomes further along in the parent RCT.