The factors associated with sleeping habits and sleeping problems of 3-12 months infants

This study is a descriptive and correlational study carried out to determine the sleeping habits and sleeping problems of 3-12 month old infants and also to examine the factors related to sleeping habits and sleeping problems. The study was conducted between April 2016 and December 2017 at the Family Health Centers located in the district of Efeler, Aydın Province. 252 mothers and infants constituted the sample of the study. The data were collected using the Parent Information Form, Baby Information Form and A Brief Screening Questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square test, Kolmogorov Smirnov test, Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis test and binary logistic regression analysis were used in the evaluation of the study data. P <0.05 was accepted as statistically significant. Permission has been obtained from the institution from which the study was carried out and from the ethics committee. It was found that the median night waking-up frequency of the infants included in the study was 3 times, the nighttime awake duration was 30 minutes, the daytime sleep duration was 120 minutes and the total sleep duration was 617.5 minutes. It was determined that 11.9% of the infants woke up at night more than three times, 30.2% of them woke up at night and were awake for more than one hour, the total sleep duration of 35.7% of the infants was less than nine hours, and 52.8% of them had sleeping problems. After the other factors were got under control, it was found that the factors reducing the sleeping problem were that the mother was literate or graduated from primary school (p=0.030), the infant was only breastfed (p=0.001), and the infant was rocked to sleep (p=0.029). It was concluded from this study that more than half of the infants aged 3-12 months had sleeping problems, and the education level of the mother, the diet of the infant and the ways that parents put their infants to sleep affected the sleeping problem of the infants. Knowing the factors that cause sleeping problems in infants under one year old will contribute to the identification of risk factors for the diagnosis, prevention or reduction of sleeping problems in infants. In this regard, all health professionals, especially pediatric nurses, should provide parents with education and counseling on safe sleep, sleep ecology and appropriate behavior to prevent sleeping problems.