Family and cultural influences on sleep development.
Sleep is a biopsychosocial process that is influenced by the complex interaction of biologic rhythms, including sleep homeostatic mechanisms, chronobiologic factors, parenting, and temperament. However, family structure, culturally specific values, and beliefs are all elements that impact the ecology of a child's sleep. Dramatic demographic changes in many countries have been witnessed in recent years, which have resulted in health professionals and pediatricians being confronted with families of widely differing cultural origins. Attitudes and beliefs on infant sleeping strongly influence whether or not infant sleep behavior is perceived as problematic. Thus, it is advantageous to explore a child's sleep behavior in a multicultural setting. Cultural comparisons are of intrinsic value because they allow not only a better understanding of sleep in different contexts but also an evaluation of the eventual benefits and consequences of different cultural sleep practices. This article provides an overview of some specific sleep-related behaviors and practices highly influenced by different cultural contexts.
Giannotti
Flavia
F
Department of Developmental Neurology and Psychiatry, Center of Pediatric Sleep Disorders, School of Medicine, University "La Sapienza" Rome, Via dei Sabelli 108, 00185 Rome, Italy. flavia.giannotti@uniromal.it
Cortesi
Flavia
F
D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D001290:Attitude; D002648:Child; D002654:Child Care / Q000379:methods; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003469:Culture; D005190:Family; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D012931:Social Environment