For parents wondering whether sharing a bed with their infant might affect their child’s emotional and behavioral development, a recent study provides some reassuring news. The research, published in the journal Attachment & Human Development, found that bed-sharing at 9 months old is not linked to emotional or behavioral problems later in childhood. This finding is significant as it challenges long-standing concerns about the potential negative impacts of this common parenting practice.
Bed-sharing, where parents and infants sleep in the same bed, is a practice deeply rooted in many cultures. While some see it as beneficial, providing security, warmth, and easier access for nighttime feedings, others argue it could pose risks, such as an increased chance of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
Despite its prevalence and the passionate debate surrounding it, surprisingly little scientific research has focused on the long-term effects of bed-sharing, especially in terms of emotional and behavioral outcomes for children. Ayten Bilgin from the Department of Psychology led this study to address these gaps in our understanding.
The researchers aimed to clarify whether bed-sharing during infancy has any lasting influence on a child’s development, particularly concerning emotional stability and behavioral tendencies. Given the conflicting views on the subject, this study sought to provide empirical evidence that could help guide parents in making informed decisions about their sleeping arrangements.
The study utilized data from the Millennium Cohort Study, a large, nationally representative longitudinal study from the United Kingdom. This cohort followed over 18,000 infants born in the early 2000s, tracking their development through various stages of childhood. For this particular research, the focus was on children who were bed-sharing at 9 months of age and their subsequent emotional and behavioral development up until they were 11 years old.
To assess emotional and behavioral outcomes, the researchers used the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, a widely respected tool for measuring psychological adjustment in children. This questionnaire, completed by parents when the children were 3, 5, 7, and 11 years old, allowed the researchers to track patterns of internalizing symptoms, such as anxiety and depression, and externalizing symptoms, like aggression and hyperactivity, over time.
The study also accounted for several other factors that could influence a child’s development, including gender, socio-economic status, night-waking frequency, breastfeeding practices, maternal psychological distress, and parenting beliefs. By considering these variables, the researchers aimed to isolate the specific impact of bed-sharing on child development.
After analyzing the data, the researchers identified four distinct developmental trajectories for emotional and behavioral symptoms in the children studied:
- Low stable internalizing and externalizing symptoms: The majority of children (56.5%) showed consistently low levels of emotional and behavioral problems across childhood.
- Low increasing internalizing and moderate decreasing externalizing symptoms: About 27.2% of children started with low internalizing symptoms that increased over time, while their externalizing symptoms decreased.
- Moderate decreasing internalizing and externalizing symptoms: A smaller group (7.5%) exhibited moderate levels of both internalizing and externalizing symptoms that decreased as they aged.
- Low increasing internalizing and high stable externalizing symptoms: The final group (8.9%) had low internalizing symptoms that increased significantly over time, alongside high and stable levels of externalizing symptoms.
Interestingly, while bed-sharing at 9 months was more common among children in the groups with elevated symptoms, the researchers found no direct evidence linking bed-sharing to an increased risk of these symptoms once other factors were taken into account. In other words, after considering variables like parenting beliefs and maternal distress, bed-sharing itself did not predict whether a child would belong to one of the higher-risk groups.
This finding is crucial because it suggests that bed-sharing, in and of itself, is not harmful to a child’s emotional or behavioral development. The study did not find any evidence that bed-sharing either prevents or causes emotional and behavioral issues later in childhood. Instead, other factors, such as the family’s overall stress levels and parenting styles, seem to play a more significant role.
However, there are limitations that should be considered. For one, bed-sharing was only assessed at 9 months of age. The researchers did not have data on whether the practice started earlier or continued beyond this age, which might influence long-term outcomes. Additionally, the study relied on parental reports for both bed-sharing practices and emotional and behavioral assessments, which could introduce bias.
Another limitation is the lack of distinction between intentional bed-sharing, where parents actively choose to sleep with their baby, and reactive bed-sharing, where parents bring their baby into bed out of desperation due to frequent night-waking. Previous studies have suggested that these different forms of bed-sharing might have different impacts on family dynamics and, consequently, on child development. Future research could explore these nuances more deeply, perhaps incorporating objective measures of sleep and more detailed psychological assessments.
Moreover, the impact of bed-sharing on the family unit as a whole, including marital and co-parenting relationships, warrants further investigation. Some evidence suggests that prolonged bed-sharing can strain parental relationships, potentially leading to greater family stress, which in turn could affect children’s emotional and behavioral outcomes.
For parents weighing the pros and cons of bed-sharing, this study offers some peace of mind. As Bilgin notes, “Parents can rest assured that as long as it’s practiced safely, bed-sharing is unlikely to have any negative impact on children’s emotional and behavioral development.” This finding helps to alleviate some of the guilt and shame that can accompany the decision to bed-share, especially in cultures where the practice is viewed with skepticism.
The study, “Associations between bed-sharing in infancy and childhood internalizing and externalizing symptoms,” was authored by Ayten Bilgin, Isabel Morales-Muñoz, Catherine Winsper, and Dieter Wolke.
