Bed-Sharing in the First 6 Months: Associations with Infant-Mother Attachment, Infant Attention, Maternal Bonding,
Ayten Bilgin1,2, Dieter Wolke2,3
1School of Psychology, University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom.
Insights
Bed-sharing in the first six months of life showed no association with infant attachment, behavior, or maternal bonding and sensitive parenting at 18 months. This finding suggests no long-term impact on early child development outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Infant Care Practices
- Maternal-Infant Bonding
Background:
- Bed-sharing is a common infant sleep practice with varying cultural acceptance.
- Concerns exist regarding potential impacts of bed-sharing on infant development and maternal well-being.
- Longitudinal data is crucial for understanding the long-term effects of early life experiences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between bed-sharing in the first 6 months and infant attachment and behavior at 18 months.
- To examine the relationship between early bed-sharing and maternal bonding and sensitive parenting at 18 months.
- To provide evidence-based insights into the developmental outcomes of bed-sharing practices.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study with 178 infants and caretakers.
- Maternal reports of bed-sharing assessed at term, 3, 6, and 18 months.
- Infant attachment (Strange Situation Procedure), behavior (observation), and maternal bonding/sensitivity (observation and report) assessed at 18 months.
Main Results:
- Bed-sharing prevalence varied, decreasing at 3 months and increasing by 18 months.
- No significant associations were found between early bed-sharing and infant attachment or behavioral outcomes at 18 months.
- No significant associations were found between early bed-sharing and maternal bonding or sensitive parenting at 3 and 18 months.
Conclusions:
- Bed-sharing during the first 6 months of life is not associated with adverse or beneficial outcomes regarding infant attachment, behavior, maternal bonding, or parenting sensitivity.
- Findings suggest that bed-sharing practices in early infancy may not significantly influence key developmental trajectories.
- Further research could explore other co-sleeping arrangements or cultural contexts.
Objective:
The objective of this study was to investigate whether bed-sharing during the first 6 months of life is associated with infant's attachment and behavioral outcomes and mother's bonding and sensitive parenting at 18 months of age.
Methods:
The sample with complete longitudinal data comprised 178 infants and their caretakers. Bed-sharing was assessed with maternal report at term, 3, 6, and 18 months. Infant attachment was measured at 18 months using the strange situation procedure. Infant behavioral outcomes (i.e., poor attention/hyperactivity and task persistence) were assessed with 2 observational measures at 18 months. Maternal sensitivity was observed at 3 and 18 months, and mothers reported on bonding to their infant at term, 3, and 18 months.
Results:
Bed-sharing was common at term (41.2%), which decreased at 3 months (22.6%) followed by a slight increase at 6 (27.5%) and 18 months of age (31.3%). No associations between bed-sharing during the first 6 months and infant-mother attachment and infant behavioral outcomes at 18 months were found. Similarly, there were no associations between bed-sharing during the first 6 months and maternal bonding and sensitivity at consequent assessment points (i.e., 3 and 18 months).
Conclusion:
Bed-sharing during the first 6 months is not associated with positive or negative outcomes about infant-mother attachment, infant behavior, maternal bonding, or sensitive parenting.
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