SLEEPING OUT-OF-HOME IN A KIBBUTZ COMMUNAL ARRANGEMENT - IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE FOR INFANT-MOTHER ATTACHMENT

Attachment classification distributions of infant-mother dyads living in 2 types of Israeli kibbutzim were compared. The subjects were 48 in fants, 14-22 months old (M = 18.29 months); 13 boys and 10 girls were from 23 kibbutz infants' houses with communal sleeping arrangements, a nd 13 boys and 12 girls were from 25 kibbutz infants' houses with home -based sleeping arrangements. The 2 groups did not differ on infants' temperament and early life events, mother-infant play interaction, qua lity of infants' daytime environment, or any of several maternal varia bles. Among the home-based infants, 80% were securely attached to thei r mothers versus 48% of the infants in communal sleeping arrangements. No avoidant relationships were found. Including the disorganized-diso riented attachment classification (44% in the communal group, 32% in t he home-based group) did not change the results. We argue that the com munal sleeping arrangement presents a child-rearing environment that d eviates markedly from the environment of evolutionary adaptedness.