Internet-based intervention on maternal sleep and anxiety: a randomized clinical trial.
Rayanne Branco Dos Santos Lima, Caio Ferreira de Jesus, Lorena Pinheiro Barbosa
PMID 42561252WHAT IT FOUND
Mothers of infants aged 10 to 24 months who received two online coaching sessions covering sleep hygiene, infant sleep management, relaxation and self-efficacy, plus scheduled WhatsApp messages, had better sleep and lower anxiety after 30 days than controls.
Key findings
01At 30 days, the intervention group's mean Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index score was 4.8, classified as good quality, versus 11.3 in the control group (p<0.001).
02At 30 days, the intervention group had lower trait-anxiety (44.9) and state-anxiety (42.8) scores than the control group (48.5 and 48.8; p=0.009 and p=0.007).
03Sleep and anxiety improved within the intervention group over 30 days, while the control group's sleep scores remained stable and anxiety scores increased.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Outcomes were self-reported, so memory and social desirability bias are possible. The trial registered after data collection started, although the protocol was initiated earlier and approved. Participants were mainly from northeastern Brazil with similar socioeconomic profiles, so results may not apply broadly. Follow-up was only 30 days, so long-term maintenance was not assessed. The principal investigator who delivered the intervention was not blinded to allocation. At 30 days, 45 of 52 intervention mothers and 44 of 52 control mothers were analysed, so some randomized participants were lost.
Declared interests
The funding section acknowledges Federal University of Ceará institutional support and funding, a CAPES doctoral scholarship for Lima RBS, and support from Adventist Faculty of the Amazon. No commercial funder or author conflict list is stated.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that any single element of the program caused the improvement or that it will work for all mothers. The study tested a bundle of two online sessions, WhatsApp messages, sleep hygiene, infant sleep management, relaxation, and self-efficacy support, and the contribution of each component cannot be separated. It also excluded mothers with prior psychiatric diagnoses.