The Cosleeping Habits of Military Children

Examined cosleeping (i.e., parents and children sleeping in the same bed) habits in military dependents and how these habits change with the absence of their fathers. Parents of 86 children (aged 2–13 yrs) who were patients or siblings of patients at a psychiatric clinic were surveyed. Results indicated that cosleeping was common. More children coslept during the father's absence, and those who coslept in his presence did so more frequently in his absence. Only 30.2% of Ss did not cosleep in the father's absence. Girls coslept more frequently than boys in the father's absence. Contrary to expectations, Ss who had not had psychiatric treatment coslept more frequently than Ss who had psychiatric intervention and lower parental ratings of adaptive functioning.