Cosleeping and its correlates in Saudi school-aged children

• Published in: International journal of behavioral medicine Vol. 15; no. 4; pp. 336 - 340
• Main Authors: BaHammam, Ahmed, Alameri, Hatem, Hersi, Ahmad
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer-Verlag 01.01.2008; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Age Factors; Arabs - psychology; Beds; Child; Child, Preschool; Children & youth; Correlation analysis; Cross-Cultural Comparison; Cross-Sectional Studies; Dreams; Elementary school students; Enuresis - epidemiology; Enuresis - ethnology; Enuresis - psychology; Family Medicine; Female; General Practice; Habits; Health Psychology; Humans; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Parent-Child Relations; Parents & parenting; Saudi Arabia; Sleep; Sleep Wake Disorders - epidemiology; Sleep Wake Disorders - ethnology; Sleep Wake Disorders - psychology; Social Environment; Studies; Surveys and Questionnaires; Saudi Arabia; school-aged children; Cosleeping; culture
• ISSN: 1070-5503; 1532-7558
• DOI: 10.1080/10705500802365623

Background : There are cross-cultural variations in sleep habits among children. No previous study has assessed the prevalence of cosleeping in school-aged children in Middle Eastern countries. Purpose : To assess the prevalence of, and the factors associated with, cosleeping in Saudi school-aged children. Methods : Questionnaires were distributed according to a specified sampling procedure, and parents were asked to rate each item that described their child’s behavior within the previous 6 months. Cosleeping was defined as all-night sharing of a bed or room with a parent. Results: Data were analyzed for 977 children (50.5% boys) with a mean age of 9.5 ± 1.9 years and a range from 5 to 12 years. Cosleeping with parents was reported by 26% (95% CI: 23.2–28.7%) of the sample. According to a multivariate logistic regression model, a child’s school level, enuresis, and nightmares were the only predictors of cosleeping. Conclusion : This study demonstrated that cosleeping is more common among Saudi school-aged children than has been reported for other countries. When assessing children’s sleep, the practitioner should give special consideration to the child’s needs, and his/her family’s cultural background.