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COLCHESTER, United Kingdom — Parents often wonder about the long-term effects of their early parenting choices. One common practice that has sparked debate is bed-sharing – when parents and infants sleep in the same bed. While some believe it strengthens the parent-child bond, others worry it might lead to sleep problems or other issues. A new study published in the journal Attachment & Human Development sheds light on this topic, suggesting that bed-sharing at nine months of age does not influence a child’s emotional and behavioral development in later childhood.
The study, led by researchers from the University of Essex and other U.K. institutions, used data from the Millennium Cohort Study, a large-scale project following the lives of children born in the U.K. between 2000 and 2002. The researchers looked at information from 16,599 children, tracking their development from infancy through age 11.
The main goal was to see if bed-sharing at nine months-old displayed a link to different patterns of internalizing and externalizing symptoms as children grew older. Internalizing symptoms refer to emotional problems like anxiety and depression, while externalizing symptoms include behavioral issues like aggression or hyperactivity.
To understand how these symptoms developed over time, the researchers used a sophisticated statistical method called parallel process latent class growth analysis. This approach allowed them to identify distinct groups of children who showed similar patterns of emotional and behavioral development from ages three to 11.
The analysis revealed four main groups of children:
- Low stable (56.5%): Children with consistently low levels of both internalizing and externalizing symptoms.
- Low increasing internalizing, moderate decreasing externalizing (27.2%): Children whose emotional problems increased slightly over time, while behavioral issues decreased.
- Moderate decreasing (7.5%): Children who started with moderate levels of both types of symptoms, which decreased over time.
- Low increasing internalizing, high stable externalizing (8.9%): Children whose emotional problems increased from a low starting point, while behavioral issues remained consistently high.
Initially, the researchers found that children who bed-shared at nine months were slightly more likely to be in one of the groups with higher levels of symptoms. However, this relationship disappeared when they accounted for other factors that might influence a child’s development. These factors included things like the mother’s mental health, the child’s temperament, and family characteristics like single parenthood or ethnicity.
This finding suggests that bed-sharing itself doesn’t cause emotional or behavioral problems. Instead, other aspects of a child’s environment and family life are more influential in shaping their development.
The study’s results provide reassurance to parents who choose to bed-share. It suggests that this practice, when done at nine months of age, doesn’t have long-lasting negative effects on a child’s emotional and behavioral development. However, the researchers caution that their study doesn’t address the safety aspects of bed-sharing with younger infants, which remains a separate concern.
Dr. Ayten Bilgin, the study’s lead author, emphasizes that parents should be informed that bed-sharing during the second half of the first year is unlikely to impact their child’s later emotional and behavioral development. This information can help parents make decisions based on their own circumstances and preferences without worrying about potential long-term consequences.
“Despite the ongoing debate about the potential long-term harms and benefits of bed-sharing, little scientific research has been conducted on this topic,” Bilgin says in a statement. “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. There is a lot of guilt and shame around bed-sharing – but it is a parental choice.”
The study’s findings challenge some previous beliefs about the benefits or risks of bed-sharing. While some advocates of bed-sharing argue that it promotes emotional security and better self-regulation in children, this large-scale study didn’t find evidence to support these claims. On the other hand, it also didn’t find any negative effects, contradicting concerns that bed-sharing might lead to more behavioral problems.
It’s important to note that the study focused on bed-sharing at a specific age (9 months) and looked at outcomes over a particular time frame (ages 3 to 11). The researchers acknowledge that the effects of bed-sharing might be different if it occurs at other ages or continues for longer periods.
This study serves as a reminder that parenting doesn’t come with a one-size-fits-all manual. The lack of significant long-term effects from bed-sharing at nine months highlights the importance of parents trusting their instincts and choosing practices that work best for their family. While safety considerations for younger infants remain crucial, this research offers reassurance to parents who choose to bed-share with older infants, allowing them to prioritize immediate family harmony without worrying about future ramifications.
Paper Summary
Methodology
The researchers utilized data from the Millennium Cohort Study, a comprehensive study following thousands of children born in the UK. They examined whether these children shared a bed with their parents at 9 months old and subsequently tracked their emotional and behavioral development at ages 3, 5, 7, and 11.
To assess emotional and behavioral problems, they employed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), completed by parents. This questionnaire inquires about various aspects of child behavior, such as anxiety, aggression, and attention span. The researchers then applied a sophisticated statistical technique called parallel process latent class growth analysis to group children based on the trajectory of their emotional and behavioral symptoms over time. Additionally, they considered various factors that might influence a child’s development, including family background and maternal mental health.
Key Results
The study identified four main groups of children with distinct patterns of emotional and behavioral development. The majority of children (56.5%) exhibited consistently low levels of problems throughout childhood. Approximately 27% showed increasing emotional problems but decreasing behavioral issues. A small group (7.5%) began with moderate problems that diminished over time, while another small group (8.9%) displayed increasing emotional problems and persistently high behavioral issues.
Initially, bed-sharing appeared to be associated with membership in the groups experiencing more problems. However, this correlation disappeared when the researchers accounted for other factors, such as family situation and maternal mental health, suggesting that bed-sharing itself is not a causative factor for these issues.
Study Limitations
The study only examined bed-sharing at 9 months of age, not earlier or later periods. All data was collected through parent reports, which may introduce bias. The researchers were unable to distinguish between families who chose to bed-share and those who did so out of necessity, such as to address sleep problems. Furthermore, the study did not consider the duration of bed-sharing beyond 9 months. These limitations highlight the need for further research to fully understand the complex relationship between bed-sharing and child development.
Discussion & Takeaways
The primary conclusion of this study is that bed-sharing at 9 months does not appear to significantly impact a child’s emotional and behavioral development in later childhood. This finding challenges both positive and negative claims about the long-term effects of bed-sharing. The research suggests that other aspects of a child’s life, such as family circumstances and parenting style, play a more crucial role in shaping their development than whether they shared a bed as an infant.
These insights can help parents make informed decisions about sleep arrangements without undue concern about long-term consequences. However, the researchers emphasize that this study does not address safety concerns related to bed-sharing with younger infants, which remains an important separate issue.
Funding & Disclosures
The researchers reported that this specific study did not receive dedicated funding. They utilized data from the Millennium Cohort Study, which is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and a consortium of UK government departments. In their disclosures, the authors declared no conflicts of interest related to this research, ensuring transparency in the reporting of their findings.
