Familial bathing patterns: implications for cases of alleged molestation and for pediatric practice

In a cross-sectional study of how 576, upper-middle class children were socialized around bathing behaviors, families were found to be variable in their handling of bathing practices. But as a group, children were found to bathe alone more frequently as they grew older, and parents were found to bathe less frequently with the child of the opposite sex, particularly as children grew older. It was uncommon for mothers to bathe or shower with sons older than 8 years of age or for fathers to bathe or shower with daughters older than 9 years of age, although most had stopped before that age. This cross-sex aversion may be a reflection of the incest taboo. Several suggestions are made about the development-related changes in bathing practices identified in the study.