IU Indianapolis ScholarWorks :: Browsing by Author "McQuillan, Maureen E."

Browsing by Author "McQuillan, Maureen E."

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A One-year Longitudinal Study of the Stress, Sleep, and Parenting of Mothers of Toddlers
(Elsevier, 2022) McQuillan, Maureen E.; Bates, John E.; Staples, Angela D.; Deater-Deckard, Kirby; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
Objectives: The present study, building on cross-sectional research showing links between mothers' sleep, stress, and parenting, used a longitudinal design to consider (1) the temporal direction of links between mothers' sleep and stress, (2) whether mother sleep deficits predict change in parenting across time, and (3) whether mother sleep deficits mediate the inverse association between stress and positive parenting. Design: The study used repeated measures of stress, mother sleep, and positive parenting at toddler ages 30, 36, and 42 months. Setting: Data were collected at 2 sites, one in the Midwest and one in the East. Participants: Four hundred thirteen mother-toddler pairs were followed. Mothers were mostly married, college educated, and middle class, but there was also considerable variability between families. Measurements: Stress was measured via parenting hassles, CHAOS, and role overload scales. Mother sleep was measured via actigraphy. Positive parenting was observed during the bedtime routine and rated using the HOME scale and other items. Results: Mother stress and sleep were inextricably linked across toddlerhood, and worse sleep was predictive of less observed positive parenting, even when controlling for prior levels of stress and parenting. Conclusions: Improving mothers' sleep may be important in efforts to improve their parenting.
Heterotypic Continuity of Inhibitory Control in Early Childhood: Evidence from Four Widely Used Measures
(American Psychological Association, 2021) Petersen, Isaac T.; Bates, John E.; McQuillan, Maureen E.; Hoyniak, Caroline P.; Staples, Angela D.; Rudasill, Kathleen M.; Molfese, Dennis L.; Molfese, Victoria J.; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
Inhibitory control has been widely studied in association with social and academic adjustment. However, prior studies have generally overlooked the potential heterotypic continuity of inhibitory control and how this could affect assessment and understanding of its development. In the present study, we systematically considered heterotypic continuity in four well-established measures of inhibitory control, testing two competing hypotheses: (1) the manifestation of inhibitory control coheres within and across time in consistent, relatively simple ways, consistent with homotypic continuity. Alternatively, (2) with developmental growth, inhibitory control manifests in more complex ways with changes across development, consistent with heterotypic continuity. We also explored differences in inhibitory control as a function of the child’s sex, language ability, and the family’s socioeconomic status. Children (N = 513) were studied longitudinally at 30, 36, and 42 months of age. Changes in the patterns of associations within and among inhibitory control measures across ages suggests that the measures’ meanings change with age, the construct manifests differently across development, and therefore, that the construct shows heterotypic continuity. We argue that the heterotypic continuity of inhibitory control motivates the use of different combinations of inhibitory control indexes at different points in development in future research to improve validity. Confirmatory factors and growth curves also suggest that individual differences in inhibitory control endure, with convergence among inhibitory control measures by 36 months of age.
Mothers’ sleep deficits and cognitive performance: Moderation by stress and age
(Public Library of Science, 2021-01-07) Deater-Deckard, Kirby; Chary, Mamatha; McQuillan, Maureen E.; Staples, Angela D.; Bates, John E.; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
There are well-known associations between stress, poor sleep, and cognitive deficits, but little is known about their interactive effects, which the present study explored in a sample of mothers of toddlers. Since certain types of cognitive decline start during the 20s and continue into later ages, we also explored whether mothers' age interacted with stress and sleep in the prediction of cognitive functioning. We hypothesized that poorer sleep [measured using one week of 24-hour wrist actigraphy data] and having more chronic stressors [e.g., life events, household chaos, work/family role conflict] would be linked with poorer cognitive performance [both executive function and standardized cognitive ability tasks], and that the interactive combination of poorer sleep and more stressors would account for the effect. We also explored whether this process operated differently for younger versus older women. In a socioeconomically and geographically diverse community sample of 227 women with toddler-age children [age, M = 32.73 yrs, SD = 5.15 yrs], poorer cognitive performance was predicted by greater activity during the sleep period, shorter sleep duration, and lower night-to-night consistency in sleep; it was not associated with higher levels of stress. The interactive effects hypothesis was supported for sleep activity [fragmented sleep] and sleep timing [when mothers went to bed]. The combination of more exposure to stressors and frequent night waking was particularly deleterious for older women's performance. For younger women, going to bed late was associated with poorer performance if they were experiencing high levels of stress; for those experiencing low levels of stress, going to bed late was associated with better performance.
Pediatric behavioral sleep medicine in the era of telemedicine: psychology trainee perspectives
(American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 2021) McQuillan, Maureen E.; Anderson, Adrienne; Russo, Kirsten D.; Truss, Autumn; Honaker, Sarah M.; Walsh, Kate Lyn; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
The worldwide coronavirus pandemic in 2020 radically changed the landscape of psychology service provision and training, with rapid rollouts of telemedicine to promote safe access to care. In this perspective article, we share the experiences of 4 psychology trainees, all of whom worked as psychology interns or postdoctoral fellows in pediatric behavioral sleep medicine during the pandemic. With restricted in-person visits and upheaval of children's normative sleep and school schedules, we directly observed growth in both need for psychological care and opportunity to provide this care remotely. Here, we summarize the unique challenges and learning opportunities we faced when trying to learn and implement evidence-based assessment and treatment of child and adolescent sleep difficulties during the pandemic.
Screen Use before Bedtime: Consequences for Nighttime Sleep in Young Children
(Elsevier, 2021) Staples, Angela D.; Hoyniak, Caroline; McQuillan, Maureen E.; Molfese, Victoria; Bates, John E.; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
There is increasing interest in the relation between screen use and sleep problems in early childhood. In a sample of 30-month-old children, this study used observational measures of screen use during the hour or so leading up to bedtime, parent reports of screen use during the child’s bedtime routine, and actigraphic measures of toddler sleep to complement parent-reported sleep problems. Whether screen use was observed during the pre-bedtime period or was reported by the parents as part of the nightly bedtime routine, greater screen use in either context was associated with more parent-reported sleep problems. Additionally, more frequent parent-reported screen use during the bedtime routine was also associated with actigraphic measures of later sleep, shorter sleep, and more night-to-night variability in duration and timing of sleep. These associations suggest the negative consequences of screen use for children’s sleep extend both to aspects of sleep reported by parents (e.g., bedtime resistance, signaled awakenings) and to aspects measured by actigraphy (e.g., shorter and more variable sleep).
Screening for Problematic Sleep in a Diverse Sample of Infants
(Oxford University Press, 2021) Honaker, Sarah M.; McQuillan, Maureen E.; Mindell, Jodi A.; Downs, Stephen M.; Slaven, James E.; Schwichtenberg, A.J.; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
Objective: To examine screening strategies for identifying problematic sleep in a diverse sample of infants. Methods: Parents of infants (5-19 months; N = 3,271) presenting for a primary care visit responded to five screening items and the Infant Sleep Questionnaire (ISQ), a validated measure of problematic infant sleep. If parents responded affirmatively to any screening item, primary care providers received a prompt to evaluate. For each of the screening questions, we examined differences in item endorsement and criterion related validity with the ISQ. Using conceptual composites of night waking and sleep difficulty, prevalence, criterion-related validity, and concurrent demographic correlates were analyzed. Results: Infants were primarily of Black race (50.1%) or Hispanic ethnicity (31.7%), with the majority (63.3%) living in economically distressed communities. Rates of problematic sleep ranged from 7.4%, for a single item assessing parental perception of an infant having a sleep problem, to 74.0%, for a single item assessing night wakings requiring adult intervention. Items assessing sleep difficulty had high (95.0-97.8%) agreement with the ISQ in identifying infants without problematic sleep, but low agreement (24.9-34.0%) in identifying those with problematic sleep. The opposite was true for items assessing night waking, which identified 91.0-94.6% of those with sleep problems but only 31.8-46.9% of those without. Conclusions: Screening strategies for identifying problematic infant sleep yielded highly variable prevalence rates and associated factors, depending on whether the strategy emphasized parent-perceived sleep difficulty or night wakings. The strategy that is most appropriate will depend on the system's goals.
Sleep and Negative Affect Across Toddlerhood in the Context of Stress
(Springer, 2022-06) Sperber, Jessica F.; McQuillan, Maureen E.; Hoyniak, Caroline P.; Staples, Angela D.; Rudasill, Kathleen M.; Molfese, Victoria J.; Bates, John E.; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
Negative affect is associated with both high stress and poor sleep, but questions remain about the direction of these associations across time and interactions between stress and sleep, especially in early childhood. The present study examined sleep deficits, family stress, and observed negative affect in a sample of toddlers at 30, 36, and 42 months (N = 504). Negative affect was observed during a parent–child free play task. Sleep was measured via actigraphy. Stress was measured using a cumulative risk index of socioeconomic status, single parent status, household chaos, role overload, parenting hassles, social support, and stressful events. Findings showed few associations between sleep and negative affect, except for toddlers experiencing high levels of family stress. Toddlers experiencing both high stress and poor sleep demonstrated the highest levels of negative affect in the lab at 30 months. Adequate sleep may serve as a protective factor for children in high-stress families.
Sustained Attention Across Toddlerhood: The Roles of Language and Sleep
(American Psychological Association, 2021) McQuillan, Maureen E.; Bates, John E.; Staples, Angela D.; Hoyniak, Caroline P.; Rudasill, Kathleen M.; Molfese, Victoria J.; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
The present study examined individual differences in the development of sustained attention across toddlerhood, as well as how these individual differences related to the development of language and sleep. Toddlers (N = 314; 54% male) were assessed at 30, 36, and 42 months using multiple measures of attention, a standardized language assessment, and actigraphic measures of sleep. Toddlers were 80% White. Family socioeconomic status (SES) was calculated using the Hollingshead Four Factor Index and ranged from 13 to 66 (M = 47.59, SD = 14.13). Aims were (a) to examine associations between measures of attention across situations, informants, and time; (b) to consider the independent and interactive effects of language and sleep on attention; and (c) to test potential bidirectional associations between sleep and attention. Findings showed attention measures were stable across time but were only weakly linked with each other at 42 months. Attention was consistently linked with language. More variable sleep and longer naps were associated with less growth in sustained attention across time. Nighttime sleep duration interacted with language in that sleep duration was positively associated with attention scores among toddlers with less advanced language, even when SES was controlled. The findings describe an understudied aspect of how sustained attention develops, involving the main effect of consistent sleep schedules and the interaction effect of amount of sleep and child language development. These findings are relevant to understanding early childhood risk for developing attention problems and to exploring a potential prevention target in family sleep practices.
The Family Context of Toddler Sleep: Routines, Sleep Environment, and Emotional Security Induction in the Hour before Bedtime
(Taylor & Francis, 2021) Hoyniak, Caroline P.; Bates, John E.; McQuillan, Maureen E.; Albert, Lauren E.; Staples, Angela D.; Molfese, Victoria J.; Rudasill, Kathleen M.; Deater-Deckard, Kirby; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
Family processes during the pre-bedtime period likely have a crucial influence on toddler sleep, but relatively little previous research has focused on family process in this context. The current study examined several aspects of family process during the pre-bedtime period, including the use of bedtime routines, the qualities of the child’s home sleep environment, and the promotion of child emotional security, in families of 30-month-old toddlers (N=546; 265 female) who were part of a multi-site longitudinal study of toddler development. These characteristics were quantified using a combination of parent- and observer-reports and examined in association with child sleep using correlation and multiple regression. Child sleep was assessed using actigraphy to measure sleep duration, timing, variability, activity, and latency. Bedtime routines were examined using parents’ daily records. Home sleep environment and emotional security induction were quantified based on observer ratings and in-home observation notes, respectively. All three measures of pre-bedtime context (i.e., bedtime routine inconsistency, poor quality sleep environments, and emotional security induction) were correlated with various aspects of child sleep (significant correlations: .11-.22). The most robust associations occurred between the pre-bedtime context measures and sleep timing (i.e., the timing of the child’s sleep schedule) and variability (i.e., night to night variability in sleep timing and duration). Pre-bedtime variables, including bedtime routine consistency, home sleep environment quality, and positive emotional security induction, also mediated the association between family socioeconomic status and child sleep. Our findings underscore the value of considering family context when examining individual differences in child sleep.
The Physical Home Environment and Sleep: What Matters Most for Sleep in Early Childhood
(American Psychological Association, 2022) Hoyniak, Caroline P.; Bates, John E.; Camacho, M. Catalina; McQuillan, Maureen E.; Whalen, Diana J.; Staples, Angela D.; Rudasill, Kathleen M.; Deater-Deckard, Kirby; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
The physical home environment is thought to play a crucial role in facilitating healthy sleep in young children. However, relatively little is known about how various features of the physical home environment are associated with sleep in early childhood, and some of the recommendations clinicians make for improving child sleep environments are based on limited research evidence. The current study examined how observer and parent descriptions of the child’s physical home environment were associated with child sleep, measured using actigraphy and parent-reports, across a year in early childhood. The study used a machine learning approach (elastic net regression) to specify which aspects of the physical home environment were most important for predicting five aspects of child sleep, sleep duration, sleep variability, sleep timing, sleep activity, and latency to fall asleep. The study included 546 toddlers (265 female) recruited at 30 months of age and re-assessed at ages 36 and 42 months of age. Poorer quality physical home environments were associated with later sleep schedules, more variable sleep schedules, shorter sleep durations, and more parent-reported sleep problems in young children. The most important environmental predictors of sleep were room sharing with an adult, bed sharing, and quality of both the child’s sleep space and the wider home environment.

Browsing by Author "McQuillan, Maureen E."

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