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Introduction: Children with neurogenetic syndromes commonly experience significant and pervasive sleep disturbances, however, associations with caregiver mental health remains unclear. Previous studies have linked sleep disturbances with increased caregiver depression in typically developing populations, and heightened caregiver stress among neurogenetic populations. The present study expands on findings by exploring the longitudinal association between child sleep duration and caregiver mental health (depression, anxiety, stress) throughout development (infancy to school-aged children) in dyads with and without a child affected by a neurogenetic syndrome. Methods: Participants were drawn from the Purdue Early Phenotype Study, including 193 caregivers (Age: M = 34.40 years, SD = 4.53) of children with neurogenetic syndromes (Age: M = 40.91 months, SD =20.72) and typically developing children (n = 55; Age: M = 36.71 months, SD = 20.68). Children in the neurogenetic group were diagnosed with Angelman (n = 49), Prader Willi (n = 30), Williams (n = 51), and Fragile X (n = 8) syndromes. Caregivers completed assessments every six months up to child age three, and annual assessments thereafter. Child sleep duration was measured using the Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaire, and caregiver internalizing symptoms were assessed using the Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale. Multilevel models were conducted to examine caregiver depression, anxiety, and stress in relation to child sleep duration at both between- and within-person levels, with child age as a moderator. Results: Results indicated a between-person effect of child sleep duration on caregiver depression (i.e., differences between families) and a within-person effect on caregiver stress (i.e., change over time) in the full, combined sample. These effects were not maintained when examined separately in neurogenetic and typically developing groups, except for a between-person effect on caregiver stress in the typically developing cohort. Moderating effects of child age were significant for depression and stress only in the typically developing cohort. Discussion: In summary, persistent child sleep disruptions were linked to exacerbated caregiver depression across the sample, while acute child sleep disruptions exacerbate caregiver stress within dyads over time. These findings emphasize the importance of addressing child sleep to enhance caregiver wellbeing and has potential relevance for a wide range of neurogenetic syndromes.
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OBJECTIVE: This study seeks to compare and contrast barriers to engage in physical activity (PA) among Latino parents in the USA and Mexico given different cultural and environmental contents. METHODS: Four bilingual and bicultural trained research assistants conducted focus groups in Mexico and the USA RESULTS: There were 33 total participants. Twenty-one mothers were married; most participants had not completed above a high school education. Most participants were full-time stay-at-home mothers (59%). Analyses revealed several topics of discussion related to beliefs and barriers that contributed to family PA engagement: (1) walking is the most common form of PA for families in both countries; (2) parents believe people of all ages and genders can and should be physically active, but there are differences in access, opportunity, and ability; (3) major barriers to engaging in PA are different for those living in Mexico (safety concerns) than in the USA (weather constraints). CONCLUSION: These findings have implications for behavioral interventions and understanding how environmental concerns impact Latino families trying to manage healthier lifestyles. Engaging community networks and resources can be a way to combat these barriers to promote PA in all contexts.