Shared sleep needs and seeking synchrony in parent-infant sleep: a meta-ethnography of parents' perspectives and experiences
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Authors
Flynn, Patricia
Gibbs, Deanna
Spirtos, Michelle
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Issue Date
2025
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Article
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Abstract
STUDY OBJECTIVES: This study sought to generate a comprehensive, multi-dimensional understanding of parent-infant sleep. METHODS: A systematic review using a meta-ethnographic approach was conducted to synthesize parents' perspectives and experiences relating to parent-infant sleep in the first two postnatal years with reference to the theoretical construct of co-occupation. Co-occupation in parent-infant sleep refers to the interactive participation of parent and infant in sleep-preparation and sleep-participation activities situated within their relational, temporal, spatial and socio-cultural context. RESULTS: A systematic search was conducted on November 11, 2022 in multiple databases: Embase.com, MEDLINE ALL via Ovid, Web of Science Core Collection, CINAHL via EBSCOhost, and Google Scholar for English-language studies reporting relevant qualitative data. An exhaustive approach to sampling resulted in the inclusion of 60 multi-disciplinary studies with over 5500 participants. Included studies were appraised for methodological rigor and application of theory. Four themes were generated: shared parent-infant sleep needs; parent-infant sleep synchrony; sleep and the parent-infant relationship; and the impact of socio-cultural context on sleep. The findings are presented as a meta-ethnographic line-of-argument synthesis with a diagrammatic representation. CONCLUSIONS: Parents described parent-infant sleep as a highly interactive experience with the desired outcome of meeting the shared parent-infant sleep needs of mutual wellbeing and infant protection. The construct of parent-infant sleep synchrony, supported by the interdependent processes of infant sleep-consolidation and parent sleep-adaptation, is proposed to represent the degree to which these shared parent-infant sleep needs are met. Bidirectional influences between sleep and the parent-infant relationship are described and the impact of socio-cultural context on sleep is explored. Statement of Significance This synthesis offers a comprehensive, multi-dimensional understanding of interactive parent-infant sleep based on the perspectives and experiences of parents. While there is growing recognition of bidirectional influences between the sleep of infants and their parents, there is an incomplete understanding of the phenomenon. By applying the theoretical construct of co-occupation, which focuses on interactive parent-infant sleep preparation and sleep participation activities without privileging the sleep of either the parent or the infant, common elements of the shared sleep experience were identified. A proposed definition of parent-infant sleep, the identification of shared parent-infant sleep needs, and the conceptualization of parent-infant sleep synchrony offer novel insights for future research and interventions aimed at improving sleep outcomes for both infants and new parents.
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Journal
Sleep
Volume
48
Issue
11