Exploring Bedsharing Decision-Making in Latinx Family Caregivers

Abstract

An estimated 3,500 infants die of sleep-related causes every year and 11 percent of those infants are of the Latinx population. This grounded theory study was completed to add to the current safe sleep literature, specifically surrounding the Latinx population and how family caregivers make decisions about where the infant sleeps. Forty-five family caregivers were interviewed. Participants were recruited using purposive theoretical sampling and interviews were audio recorded in Spanish or English. Demographic information was obtained, along with the Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaire, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and Neuro-QoL anxiety/depression screenings. Results included a grounded theory that yielded three major findings about the infant sleep decision-making process, including: 1. The emergence of the basic social process of Caregiver Vigilance, 2. The six influencing factors that guide each pathway, and 3. How there are two decisions caregivers can make, but ultimately three different pathways that are each differently impacted by the six influencing factors. This grounded theory explains the complexity of safe infant sleep decisions in the Latinx community. Findings can help nurses create safe infant sleep messaging that better targets the Latinx population and addresses intentional and unintentional bedsharing.