| Where young children should sleep remains a highly controversial topic in the annals of child-rearing. This prospective, multi-method study provides the first full-scale examination of the significance of socially situated sleep experiences during infancy and toddlerhood in predicting children's socio-emotional development. Using a new heuristic, multi-level conceptual model of child sleep arrangements, the study's objectives were to: (1) examine proximal and distal contextual factors (i.e., socio-demographic, child, maternal, parenting, and family characteristics) that relate to family sleep arrangements, and (2) consider the joint impact of context and sleep arrangements on children's attachment security and autonomy.; Participants were 87 mothers and their 18-month-old toddlers who were part of a larger longitudinal study. Laboratory observations were conducted and mothers completed questionnaires. The Strange Situation was used to assess attachment security, coded both nominally (insecure-avoidant, insecure-resistant, secure) and with continuous rating scales (proximity seeking, contact maintenance, resistance, and avoidance). Toddler autonomy was observed during the semi-structured Three Boxes play interaction. Observed maternal behaviors were coded for sensitivity and autonomy support. Types of sleep arrangements were based on mothers' concurrent reports of children's sleep location at 6, 12, and 18 months. Children were classified as solitary sleepers, bedsharers, roomsharers, and reactive co-sleepers.; The results did not find either beneficial or detrimental main effects of sleep arrangements for security of attachment or level of autonomy, although bedsharers scored significantly higher than other children on proximity-seeking and contact-maintaining attachment rating scales. Results underscored the importance of contextual factors: families of roomsharers were more likely to be Hispanic, have lower income levels, and differ from other groups in maternal (e.g. age, depressive symptoms) and child (e.g., temperament) characteristics. Interaction effects were found between sleep arrangements and culture/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and limited sleep space for attachment security and autonomy. The findings have important implications for health practitioners who counsel parents about early sleep arrangements, and for researchers who should differentiate among types of co-sleeping and consider the larger sociocultural and familial context of sleep. |
