Sep 11 – 13, 2025
Campus Luigi Einaudi
Europe/Rome timezone

The interplay between sleep health and peripartum psychological health in the family context: a prospective psychophysiological approach

Sep 12, 2025, 3:30 PM
20m
Aula Magna

Aula Magna

Speaker

Debora Meneo (Dipartimento di Science Umane, Università degli Studi Guglielmo Marconi)

Description

Over 70% of peripartum women experience insomnia symptoms. Sleep difficulties increase psychological and health risks during peripartum. Longitudinal psychophysiological research is lacking. This ongoing longitudinal study include ecological-momentary assessment (EMA) and randomized controlled trial (RCT) designs to understand the interplay between physiological, hormonal and subjective indices of maternal sleep and psychopathology.
Women from early pregnancy (baseline) are assessed after 6 and 12 weeks (FU1-2), and at 1-to-2 weeks (FU3), 3- and 6-months post-partum (FU4-5). Included women are divided into those without (Group A) and those with sleep difficulties (Group B). Group B is randomly assigned to digital psychoeducational sleep intervention or a control condition (pregnancy information). A 7-days EMA design assesses sleep and emotions (sleep diary), sleep-wake parameters (actigraphy) and stress reactivity (salivary cortisol) at baseline, FU1 and FU5. Saliva samples are used for gene methylation as biomarkers of prenatal insomnia. Partners’ and newborns’ sleep is also assessed.
Among 41 interested women, 20 within the 2nd trimester have been enrolled (34.60 + 4.11 years): 10 without and 10 with relevant insomnia symptoms. 2 participants reported moderate anxiety and 3 screened positive for risk of peripartum depression. Group B tended to report higher anxiety and depressive symptoms compared to Group A.
Currently, 6 participants gave birth. No pregnancy complications were reported.
The present prospective study aims to understand the psychophysiological mechanisms linking sleep health and peripartum psychopathology. This will contribute to interventive and preventive programs to reduce long-term consequences of sleep difficulties during early pregnancy.

Preregistration:https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06379074
Protocol: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-024-01827-1

If you're submitting a symposium talk, what's the symposium title? Innovative approaches to sleep and well-being: Methodological and research implications
If you're submitting a symposium, or a talk that is part of a symposium, is this a junior symposium? Yes

Primary author

Debora Meneo (Dipartimento di Science Umane, Università degli Studi Guglielmo Marconi)

Co-authors

Elisabetta Baldi (Department of Human Sciences, Guglielmo Marconi University, Rome, Italy) Silvia Cerolini (Department of Human Sciences, Guglielmo Marconi University, Rome, Italy) Chiara Berteotti (Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.) Stefano Bastianini (Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.) Giovanna Zoccoli (Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy) Paola De Bartolo (Department of Human Sciences, Guglielmo Marconi University, Rome, Italy; IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy) Francesca Gelfo (Department of Human Sciences, Guglielmo Marconi University, Rome, Italy; IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy) Viviana Lo Martire (Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.) Chiara Baglioni (Department of Human Sciences, Guglielmo Marconi University, Rome, Italy; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany)

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