Impact of sleep health education on sleep quality among mothers of infants under one year: a randomized controlled trial

A four-session, lecture-based sleep-health education program did not improve sleep quality among mothers of infants younger than one year in a randomized controlled trial conducted in Tabas, Iran. The study’s abstract reports that, immediately after the four-week intervention, participants receiving education had higher Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores, indicating poorer sleep quality, than those receiving routine care. The trial was single-center, included 70 mothers and assessed outcomes only at baseline and immediately after the intervention; its findings therefore do not establish the program’s effects beyond that period or for other forms of sleep support.

Researchers allocated 70 eligible mothers of infants under one year to either an intervention group or a control group, with 35 participants in each. The intervention consisted of four weekly sessions lasting two hours each and was delivered through lectures. Sleep quality was assessed at baseline and immediately after the intervention’s completion using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), on which higher scores indicate poorer sleep quality. The groups did not differ significantly at baseline: mean PSQI scores were 9.34 with standard deviation 3.20 in the intervention group and 10.02 with standard deviation 3.18 in the control group.

At follow-up, the mean PSQI score was 9.91 with standard deviation 3.15 in the intervention group and 8.37 with standard deviation 2.11 in the control group, an unadjusted difference of p = 0.019. Within the intervention group, the mean PSQI change was an increase of 0.57 points, with a 95% confidence interval of 0.21 to 0.94 and a paired p value of 0.003. In the control group, the mean score decreased by 1.66 points, with a 95% confidence interval of −2.93 to −0.38 and a paired p value of 0.012. The between-group difference in change scores was 2.23 points in favor of the control group, with a 95% confidence interval of 0.91 to 3.55 and Welch’s t-test p = 0.0015.

An analysis of covariance adjusted for baseline PSQI produced the same direction of association: the intervention group’s post-intervention score was 1.87 points higher, with a 95% confidence interval of 0.81 to 2.93 and p < 0.001. The authors reported no unintended or adverse effects. In the abstract, they concluded that this specific four-session, lecture-based program did not improve maternal PSQI scores immediately after the intervention and was associated with a less favorable sleep-quality trajectory than routine care. They cautioned that the result should not be generalized to all sleep education. The trial was registered retrospectively on 29 June 2026 under number IRCT20230724058906N2, and the supplied source identifies the publication as an early, open-access version subject to further edits.

Subject of Research: A randomized trial of lecture-based sleep-health education for mothers of infants under one year

Article Title: Impact of sleep health education on sleep quality among mothers of infants under one year: a randomized controlled trial

Article References: Khoramabadi, Z. K., Forg, F. A., Hasani, H., Salehian, S., & Esmaeili, A. A. (2026). Impact of sleep health education on sleep quality among mothers of infants under one year: a randomized controlled trial. BMC Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-026-05665-1

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s40359-026-05665-1

Keywords: randomized controlled trial, postpartum sleep, maternal sleep quality, sleep-health education, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, lecture-based intervention, Iran, infant mothers, Impact, sleep, health, education