Descriptive Analysis of Intervention for Parents of Young Children Having Sleep Problems

The aim of this qualitative study was to describe an intervention for parents at a nurse-led clinic for children age 6-24 months with sleeping problems. Data were gathered from 10 families. Intervention sessions were recorded. The nurse also wrote field notes and kept a reflection diary about the interventions. The data were coded in a search for categories of meaning and then grouped and raised to a higher level of abstraction to describe the intervention. Three themes were constructed. Theme 1: Sharing Stories, includes establishing a working relationship and learning about the family. Theme 2: Empowering, includes education and motivation. Theme 3: Guidance, includes environmental and behavioral intervention and review plans. Empowering was the strongest theme. Behavioral intervention had less emphasis than expected. Environmental intervention was surprisingly relevant. These results can be used to design a protocol for an experimental study and teaching materials for professionals who work with infant sleep problems.