The mother-infant relationship and the mental world of the mother in the context of sleep disorders

This study aims to examine the mental world of the mothers, whose babies have trouble in falling asleep and/or wake up often during night sleep, and the position of the babies' sleep problems in their relationship. In this qualitative study, seven participants were first interviewed with a semi-structured schedule. This step was followed by the application of Rorschach and Thematic Apperception tests. The data collected through these interviews and tests were interpreted with content analysis, following the French School tradition. It is found that the research partipicants, whose babies have sleep disorders, use manic defences against object loss. It is thought that the anxieties of the mother and defenses that she uses cause the baby to be stimulated and prevent the baby from falling asleep by relaxing. The baby's protective-shield system has not yet developed and this function is performed by the mother for the baby. It was observed that the participants could easily lose their control when faces with external stimuli, had difficulty in controlling their internal excitement, and their shields were insufficient to meet the excitement. Findings related to early object relations reveal that the mother images of the participants were insufficient to perform the mirror role, holding and containing function. It is thought that the participants could not relax on the basis of internal objects in the face of anxiety and stimulation, and resorted to methods of self-sedation and that they could provide sedation to their infants through this way.