Cosleeping and sleep problems in Hispanic-American children

F. F. Schachter, M. L. Fuchs, P. E. Bijur, R. K. Stone

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

84 Scopus citations

Abstract

To assess whether the traditional pediatric prohibition against cosleeping in the parental bed requires reconsideration for urban ethnic minorities, cosleeping and sleep problems were studied in a sample of Hispanic-American, east Harlem, New York City, children 6 to 48 months of age. The incidene of frequent all-night cosleeping was found to be 21%, significantly higher than the documented rate of 6% found in a representative sample of white middle-American urban children of the same age and sex. For occasional cosleeping, however, there were no significant ethnic differences, and frequent part-night cosleeping was significantly less common than noted in the white sample. There were greater ethnic differences for sharing the parental bedroom compared with cosleeping in the parental bed, approximately 80% for Hispanic-Americans vs 10% for the white population. Within the Hispanic-American group, frequent all-night cosleeping was significantly more common among single parents and those living in multiple households and less common among infants and later-born children in the family. Frequent all-night cosleeping was also significantly associated with sleep problems.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)522-530
Number of pages9
JournalPediatrics
Volume84
Issue number3
StatePublished - 1989
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health

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