Bed sharing in school-age children--clinical and social implications.

TOPIC: The topic of this review was the clinical and social implications of bed sharing in school-age children.

PURPOSE: The present review of literature was aimed to explore the reasons why school-age children seek bed sharing with parents, and the effect of culture on bed sharing practice. We also sought to examine if the duration of bed sharing has an impact on children, and importantly, what effect bed sharing had on a child's psychosexual development, if any. This article will also review the literature in search of scientific evidence regarding the short- and long-term consequences of bed sharing.

SOURCES: A search for peer-reviewed English language literature published in the past 20 years was performed from various databases (Medline, PsycInfo, and Cochran Data Base Systemic Reviews).

CONCLUSIONS: We found that bed sharing is a cultural practice. Generally speaking, infant-parent bed sharing has distinct benefits. Its perceived benefits and drawbacks are distinctly influenced by cultural beliefs and practices.