Parent/Carer Discussions in UK Online Forums About the Management of Behavioral Sleep Problems in Infants and Children: A Qualitative Analysis

OBJECTIVES: To explore parent/carer discussions in online forums about managing infant/child sleep problems, specifically; concerns/expectations, perceptions of available resources and perceptions about management within primary healthcare settings. METHOD: A pragmatic qualitative study of parent/carer posts in two UK-based public online parenting forums. Systematic searches were conducted in the forums. One hundred discussion threads from each were screened and included if users posted about infant's/children's sleep problems. Data were imported into NVivo and analyzed with descriptive qualitative analysis. RESULTS: Three descriptive themes were developed from 93 threads. "An uncertain journey concerning children's sleep problems" including multiple uncertainties about their child's sleep, information seeking, impacts of sleep problems, and management strategies. Parents/carers often used "non-healthcare resources as primary sources of support" for emotional/practical support, mainly peers and online. "Primary and community health care roles: expectation and experience" highlighted limited or mixed experiences/perceptions of community nurses, and reluctance to consult general practitioners for behavioral sleep problems. CONCLUSIONS: Families of infants/young children are impacted by sleep problems, have many concerns but are reluctant to seek support from primary healthcare practitioners. Improved referral/direction to evidence-based resources, awareness of the role of primary/community care, and improved relationships between health professionals and parents could reduce parental uncertainties.