Research on Naturism tends to be both sporadic and fraught. In 'the literature' there has been rather too much 'research' especially in America, which merely re-states others' prejudices - by authors who have never actually studied Naturists themselves.

   This site offers summaries of a range of properly research material.

   Actual research on Naturists indicates: that males are significantly less aggressive than the average; that children benefit from being brought up in a Naturist household; and that the Naturist experience gives non-Naturists an enduring four-fold lift in self-esteem.
 

Objective advantages
Graphic illustrations of the more significant discoveries about Naturists.
 
General: Fine detail
This page lists fine details and their sources of items related to the Naturist experience.
 
Children & Youth
This discusses four investigations asking: "Is children's exposure to nudity harmful?"
 
The Researchers
A detailed bibliography of many informative articles.
 

   An ABC-TV program by Dr Dean Adelle, broadcast in January 1989; summarised the researchers thus: "Increased exposure to nudity in the family fosters an atmosphere of acceptance of sexuality, one's own body and increased comfort in the arena". Seeing friends of either sex nude (in addition to members of one's family) has like results. The study also delved into the later impact on children's lives from sleeping in their parents' beds, and from their parents' attitudes to, and ability to discuss, sexuality. It appears that "the attitudes toward sex that the parents convey to their children may be more important to their subsequent sexual adjustment than any particular family practice". In other words, it's not so much what you do, as how and why you do it. If you as a parent are comfortable with your nudity (and do not pressure your children to also go un-clothed), it is likely that they will have better self-esteem and feel more comfortable with their sexuality than their friends who grew up in households where bodies were always carefully hidden from view.