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Publication
A pillow made of love and inner safety in moments of developmental change: attachment internal working models and sleep quality in preschool and preadolescent children
Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
O sono é um fenómeno de importância capital na vida humana. Essa asserção é
substanciada pelo facto de as crianças, nos primeiros anos, passarem mais de metade do tempo
a dormir. Uma vez que o sono das crianças é altamente regulado pelos pais e que as relações de
proximidade estabelecem sentimentos de segurança que, por sua vez, favorecem a transição
para o sono, o estudo conjunto da vinculação e do sono na infância surge como um assunto de
relevância científica.
O primeiro estudo consistiu numa revisão sistemática, que teve o objetivo de integrar
os principais resultados da investigação dedicada à relação entre a vinculação e o sono na idade
pré-escolar. Foram incluídos 7 estudos (N = 2,344 crianças). A sua análise revela resultados
inconsistentes, em estudos caracterizados por uma variedade de instrumentos para avaliar a
vinculação e o sono, o os torna difíceis de comparar. Os resultados são discutidos no contexto
das potencialidades de cada instrumento à luz dos modelos teóricos existentes.
O segundo estudo teve como objetivo comparar dois dos instrumentos mais utilizados
em investigação sobre o sono em Psicologia do Desenvolvimento: a atigrafia e o relato parental
(CSHQ). Os participantes foram 46 crianças, entre os 3 e os 6 anos, e os seus pais. Os resultados
sugerem uma baixa concordância entre os diferentes métodos, com os pais consistentemente a
relatar horários de sono mais precoces, maiores durações totais de sono e menos despertares
noturnos que o atígrafo. Contudo, o questionário fornece importantes indicadores
comportamentais sobre o sono que não são captados pela atigrafia. Assim, o estudo discute as
vantagens de um uso complementar de medidas objetivas e de autorrelato.
O terceiro estudo analisa as relações entre modelos internos dinâmicos de vinculação e
o sono avaliado por atigrafia e relato parental em crianças de idade pré-escolar. Além disso,
explora o efeito moderador de variáveis sociodemográficas parentais, como a idade, a educação
e o número de horas de trabalho dos pais. Participaram no estudo 43 crianças (média de idade
= 4 anos e 11 meses) e os seus pais. Os resultados revelam associações significativas entre a
vinculação e o sono, em função de variáveis como a idade do pai e a educação da mãe.
O quarto estudo investiga o efeito mediador da qualidade do sono na relação entre
representações de vinculação, e auto perceções de bem-estar na pré-adolescência. Participaram
no estudo 258 crianças (média de idade = 11.19). Os resultados sugerem que a qualidade do
sono, em parte, explica a associação entre as representações de vinculação a ambos os pais e a
perceção dos pré-adolescentes sobre o seu bem-estar.
Considerados em conjunto, os estudos afirmam os benefícios de uma avaliação
complementar do sono através de medidas objetivas e subjetivas (estudos 1, 2 e 3); e sugerem
que a segurança da vinculação se associa à qualidade do sono (estudos 1, 3 e 4), que essa
associação pode ser distinta para crianças diferentes (estudo 3) e ter efeitos noutras dimensões
do desenvolvimento, como o bem-estar (estudo 4).
AABSTRACT: Sleep is a phenomenon of capital importance in human life. This assertion is substantiated by the fact that children, during the first years, spend more than half of their time sleeping. Since a child’s sleep is highly regulated by the parents, and close relationships help establish feelings of safety that, ultimately, favour transition to sleep, the joint study of attachment and sleep arises with scientific relevance. The first study consisted of a systematic review, to integrate the main results of attachment and sleep research in preschool age. Seven studies were included (N = 2,344 children). Their analyses reveal inconsistent findings, in studies characterized by a variety of attachment and sleep assessment instruments, making them difficult to compare. Results are discussed in the context of each instrument’s potentialities, considering existing theoretical models. The second study had the goal of comparing the two more used instruments in developmental sleep research: actigraphy and parental report (CSHQ). Participants were 46 children, aged between 3 and 6 years, and their parents. Results suggest a low agreement rate between the methods, with parents consistently reporting earlier bedtimes, longer sleep durations and fewer night-wakings than the actigraph. However, the questionnaire provides important behavioral indicators not captured by actigrapy. Thus, the work discusses the benefits of the complementary use of objective and self-report measures. The third study analyses the relationship between attachment internal working models and sleep, assessed by actigraphy and parental reports, in preschool-aged children. Moreover, it explores the moderation effects of parental sociodemographic variables, such as age, education and working hours. Forty-three children (mean age = 4 years, 11 months) and their parents participated in our study. Results reveal significant associations between attachment and sleep, as a function of variables such as the father’s age and mother’s education. The fourth study investigates the mediation effect of sleep quality in the relation between attachment representations and self-representations of well-being in preadolescence. The participants were 258 children (mean age = 11.19). Results suggest that sleep quality partly explains the association between attachment representations about both parents and preadolescents’ perceptions of their well-being. Taken together, our studies affirm the benefits of a complementary assessment of sleep through objective and subjective measures (studies 1, 2 and 3); and suggest that attachment security is associated with sleep quality (studies 1, 3 and 4), and this association may be distinct for different children (study 3) and translate in significant effects in other developmental dimensions, such as well-being (study 4).
AABSTRACT: Sleep is a phenomenon of capital importance in human life. This assertion is substantiated by the fact that children, during the first years, spend more than half of their time sleeping. Since a child’s sleep is highly regulated by the parents, and close relationships help establish feelings of safety that, ultimately, favour transition to sleep, the joint study of attachment and sleep arises with scientific relevance. The first study consisted of a systematic review, to integrate the main results of attachment and sleep research in preschool age. Seven studies were included (N = 2,344 children). Their analyses reveal inconsistent findings, in studies characterized by a variety of attachment and sleep assessment instruments, making them difficult to compare. Results are discussed in the context of each instrument’s potentialities, considering existing theoretical models. The second study had the goal of comparing the two more used instruments in developmental sleep research: actigraphy and parental report (CSHQ). Participants were 46 children, aged between 3 and 6 years, and their parents. Results suggest a low agreement rate between the methods, with parents consistently reporting earlier bedtimes, longer sleep durations and fewer night-wakings than the actigraph. However, the questionnaire provides important behavioral indicators not captured by actigrapy. Thus, the work discusses the benefits of the complementary use of objective and self-report measures. The third study analyses the relationship between attachment internal working models and sleep, assessed by actigraphy and parental reports, in preschool-aged children. Moreover, it explores the moderation effects of parental sociodemographic variables, such as age, education and working hours. Forty-three children (mean age = 4 years, 11 months) and their parents participated in our study. Results reveal significant associations between attachment and sleep, as a function of variables such as the father’s age and mother’s education. The fourth study investigates the mediation effect of sleep quality in the relation between attachment representations and self-representations of well-being in preadolescence. The participants were 258 children (mean age = 11.19). Results suggest that sleep quality partly explains the association between attachment representations about both parents and preadolescents’ perceptions of their well-being. Taken together, our studies affirm the benefits of a complementary assessment of sleep through objective and subjective measures (studies 1, 2 and 3); and suggest that attachment security is associated with sleep quality (studies 1, 3 and 4), and this association may be distinct for different children (study 3) and translate in significant effects in other developmental dimensions, such as well-being (study 4).
Description
Tese apresentada para cumprimento dos requisitos
necessários à obtenção do grau de Doutor em Psicologia, na
área de especialização de Psicologia do Desenvolvimento
Keywords
Modelos internos dinâmicos de vinculação Idade pré-escolar Qualidade do sono Préadolescência Attachment internal working models Sleep quality Preschool age Preadolescence