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Differences in Infant and Parental Sleep and Sleeping Location in a Multi-National Study
Laura Astbury1, Seoha Kyung2, Jiwun Song2
1Faculty of Medicine, School of Psychological Sciences, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Victoria, Australia.
Behavioral Sleep Medicine
|July 9, 2025
Summary
Korean mothers experience more sleep problems than mothers in Australia and the USA. Korean infants also sleep less at night, but bedsharing may help reduce maternal insomnia.
Area of Science:
- Sleep Science
- Cross-Cultural Psychology
- Maternal and Child Health
Background:
- Infant and maternal sleep patterns exhibit significant cultural variations.
- Understanding these differences is crucial for developing targeted sleep interventions.
- Previous research has not comprehensively compared sleep in Korean, Australian, and U.S. mother-infant dyads.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate and compare cross-cultural differences in infant and maternal sleep.
- To examine the relationship between sleep variables and demographic factors in diverse populations.
- To assess the impact of co-sleeping and bedsharing on maternal sleep quality.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving 2,005 mother-infant dyads from Australia, Korea, and the U.S.A.
- Mothers completed validated questionnaires: Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitudes About Sleep Scale (DBAS), and Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaire (BISQ).
- Data were analyzed using multiple regression analyses, with infant age groups at 6, 12, and 24 months.
Main Results:
- Korean mothers reported significantly higher insomnia symptoms (ISI) and dysfunctional sleep beliefs (DBAS) compared to Australian and U.S. mothers.
- Korean infants exhibited shorter nighttime total sleep time (TST) and longer sleep onset latency (SOL) than infants in the U.S.A. and Australia.
- Bedsharing was associated with reduced insomnia symptoms in Korean mothers at 24 months, while co-sleeping showed no significant association with maternal insomnia or sleep beliefs.
Conclusions:
- Korean mothers and infants face distinct sleep challenges, including higher maternal insomnia rates and poorer infant sleep outcomes.
- Cultural factors may influence sleep patterns, necessitating culturally sensitive approaches to sleep interventions.
- Bedsharing appears to be a protective factor against maternal insomnia in the Korean context, warranting further investigation.
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