The experience and perception of continuity between home and day care from the perspectives of child, mother, and caregiver

To examine the consistency between children's home and day care experiences and the impact of home#shday care differences upon adult-child interactions, 36 preschoolers [mean age 42 months] were observed at home with mother and in full-time subsidized family day care. Discontinuities as well as continuities in interactions were observed. Open-ended interviews with family day care providers and mothers furnished further insights in perceptions of similarities and differences between the settings and speculation about possible impact on the children's development.     

Teacher Re‐creation of Negative Interactions with Toddlers

Fifty two‐year olds and fifty three‐year olds from low‐income families were observed in 10 urban day care centers serving disadvantaged families. Microanalytic chains of child‐teacher interactions were recorded and then recoded to represent positive and negative behaviors. Two‐year old male toddlers behaved more negatively than two‐year old girls or three‐year old children. In turn, male toddlers elicited more negative behaviors from their caregivers. Teachers seemed to be controlled by children's behaviors—responding positively to positive behaviors and negatively to negative behaviors. Providers may unwittingly recreate in group care the negative interactions, predictive of poor socioemotional adjustment, that toddlers are already experiencing at home. These data have important implications for mental health toddler workers involved in training teachers in early childhood settings.     

Stress, cortisol and well-being of caregivers and children in home-based child care: a case for differential susceptibility

Background We examined whether children cared for by stressed caregivers show lower socio‐emotional well‐being and more stress, compared with children cared for by less stressed caregivers. Methods Perceived stress and cortisol levels of professional caregivers (n= 44), and associations with children's (n= 44) well‐being and cortisol levels in home‐based child care were examined. Results Caregiver perceived stress and cortisol levels were related to children's well‐being but not to children's cortisol levels. Children's social fearfulness acted as a moderator between caregivers' mean ratio of diurnal change in cortisol and children's well‐being. When caregiver cortisol levels decreased, more fearful children were reported higher on well‐being than less fearful peers. In contrast, when caregiver cortisol levels increased, more fearful children were reported lower on well‐being. Conclusions The findings point to differential susceptibility. Child care organizations and parents need to notice that a non‐stressful child care environment is in particular important for children with a difficult temperament.     

Dyadic and Triadic Family Interactions as Simultaneous Predictors of Children's Externalizing Behaviors

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between dyadic and triadic family interactions and their association with the development of children's externalizing behaviors. Data were obtained from a longitudinal study of family interactions (N = 125), followed from before parents had their first child until children were 7 years old. Family interactions (marital, father–child, mother–child, and triadic mother–father–child) were observed in separate interaction tasks when children were 24 months old as predictors of children's externalizing behaviors at age 7 (n = 71 children). Results demonstrated that the triadic measure of competitive coparenting and the dyadic mother–child interaction characterized by negative emotional socialization related to children's later externalizing behavior, even after controlling for covariates and effects of all other family interaction variables. Results emphasize the importance of examining the family holistically and provided new information for designing more effective whole‐family interventions to reduce the development of children's externalizing behaviors.     

Perceptions of infant/toddler temperament in three child care settings

The relationships among different types of infant and toddler child care (at home care, family day care home and day care center) and perceived temperament were investigated. Subjects in this study included mothers, fathers and supplementary caregivers (where applicable) of 64 infants and toddlers, aged 5‐22 months from middle to upper middle class homes. Parents and supplementary caregivers (where applicable) completed the Carey Infant Temperament Questionnaire.

ANOVAs were used to assess differences of temperament perceptions between the three child care groups. There were no significant differences between the groups of parents in their perceptions of the nine temperament characteristics or overall temperament. However, caregivers from day care centers perceived the temperament of children in their care as significantly more difficult (p = 0.002) than caregivers of children in family day care homes.     

Impact of Family Structure on Stimulant Use among Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Objective. To examine the impact of family structure on pharmacologic stimulant use among children with attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Data Source. Nationally representative, population‐based sample of the National Health Interview Survey from 1997 to 2003 linked with drug event files from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey from 1998 to 2005. Study Design. Stepwise multivariate logistic regression was used to examine the likelihood of stimulant use for each individual during 2 years of observation after adjustment for sociodemographic, health, and family characteristics. Stratified analyses were also conducted to examine whether family characteristics had different impacts within single‐mother and dual‐parent households. Principal Findings. Stimulant use varied based on children's sociodemographic and health characteristics. In multivariate analyses, associations between children's household structure, parental education, and stimulant use appeared to be mediated by children's access to care and health status. However, in full multivariate models, there remained a robust positive association between family size and stimulant use. Conclusions. These findings highlight the influence that nonclinical factors such as family size may have in mediating the use of pharmacologic therapies for children.     

What is the Best Mode of Day Care For Young Children: A French Study

Different ways of helping parents care for babies are reviewed. The evaluations of those existing now in France are reported. Research results are presented to evaluate effects of different child care arrangements. “The Baby's Day,” which evaluates the temperament, the development of the relations, and the attitudes of the caregivers was created based on questions and observations. A study using this test was conducted with 262 children cared for in three ways: at home, at a day‐care center, and at a family day‐care home. The children were aged nine months, two years, or three and one half years (the oldest were all at the nursery school, but were previously cared for in one of these ways). The test was carried out in homes and in child‐care places. The results show differences between children cared for in different ways, as well as between the same children when they go from one environment to the other. These differences, however, do not persist when the children are at the nursery school. Social class and birth order differences were found. Improvements for each mode of child care are proposed, in order to help all children develop better and all mothers to take pleasure in parenting their babies.     

The family narratives of three siblings living in a ‘street situation’ since birth

ABSTRACT

The spontaneous narratives of three brothers, ages 5, 8, and 11, in response to a structured story stem task were analysed for representations of positive and negative family interactions. The children had lived their entire lives with no permanent home, and often on the streets, in the care of their mother. The story stem task presented brief scenarios of parent and family conflict and a child's need for comfort. Analyses revealed children's understanding of basic family role structures; yet, their narratives were also characterized by emotional detachment, limited parental engagement, and self-centredness. Implications for young children's coping with great adversity are discussed.     

Young children in day and night care: negotiating and constructing belonging during daily arrivals

The paper aims at understanding the processes related to young children's belonging during daily arrivals at day and night care. Two aspects of a child's belonging are considered: membership and sense of belonging. Data were gathered by ethnographic observation of 8 children aged from 20 to 36 months in two Finnish day care centres offering day and night care. Arrival episodes taking place at different times of day were analysed qualitatively based on the children's actions and expressions. During these episodes, the children negotiated and constructed their belonging by interacting with adults, peers and material objects. These interactions took place within varying social and material surroundings and according to different daily routines that sometimes challenged the child's belonging. The results underline the importance of sensitive responsiveness by educators to young children's initiatives in supporting children's belonging during daily arrivals at day and night care.     

Maternal Emotional Resources and Socio‐Emotional Well‐being of Children With and Without Learning Disabilities

This study investigated cumulative vulnerability/protection models of individual‐level factors (child's attachment relationship and sense of coherence –SOC) and family‐level factors (mothers' emotional resources), as explaining differences in socio‐emotional and behavioral adjustment among children with learning disabilities (LD) or typical development, age 8–12. Participants included 205 mother‐child dyads (107 LD, 98 typical). Preliminary analyses indicated significant group differences on all but one child measure. SEM analysis revealed high fit between the theoretical model and empirical findings. Model components interrelated differently for the two populations. Outcomes accentuated the potentially meaningful role of mothers' affect and attachment for children's adjustment and children's mediating variables. Findings also highlighted children's attachment and SOC as mediating associations between maternal emotional resources and children's well‐adjusted functioning.     

A comparison of father–infant interaction between primary and non-primary care giving fathers

Background This study examined the socio‐demographic characteristics and attitudes of primary care giving fathers and non‐primary care giving fathers and the quality of their interaction with their infants. Method Two groups of fathers of 11.9‐month old infants were compared – 25 primary care giving fathers (20 h per week or more of sole infant care) and 75 non‐primary care giving fathers – with regard to socio‐demographic characteristics, attitudinal differences and father–infant interaction during play and mealtimes. The quality of father–child interaction in relation to the total number of hours of primary care provided by fathers was also examined. Results Primary care giving fathers had lower occupational status and earned a smaller proportion of the family income but did not differ in educational level or attitudes compared with non‐primary care giving fathers. There were no differences between the partners of the two groups of fathers on any variables, and their infants did not differ in temperament. Primary care giving fathers and their infants exhibited more positive emotional tone during play than non‐primary care giving fathers, although fathers did not differ in responsivity. There were no differences between the groups during mealtimes. There was a positive association between total number of child care hours provided by all fathers and infant positive emotional tone. Conclusions Primary and non‐primary care giving fathers were similar in many respects, but primary care giving fathers and their infants were happier during play. This suggests a possible link between the involvement of fathers in the care of their children and their children's emotional state. The finding of a trend towards increased paternal happiness with increased hours of child care suggests that there may also be a gain for fathers who are more involved in the care of their infants. Further research is needed to determine whether these differences ultimately have an effect on children's development.     

Mothers' and Fathers' Responses to Children's Negative Emotions: Family and Physiological Correlates

Parental physiological regulation and coparenting conflict were examined as correlates of mothers' and fathers' reactions to children's negative emotions. A within‐family design that included 70 families (mother, father, and two siblings between the ages of 2 and 5) was used. Parents completed questionnaires about their reactions to children's negative emotions and the other parent's coparenting. Parents' respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) was measured during a baseline task. Mothers were more emotionally supportive and less negative in response to children's negative emotions than fathers. The results from actor–partner interdependence models indicated that fathers' baseline RSA was positively associated with their own and the mothers' supportive reactions to children's negative emotions. Fathers reported using more negative parenting when mothers had higher baseline RSA. Coparenting conflict accounted for between‐family differences in parenting. The findings underscore the need for a greater focus on the complex family processes associated with mothers' and fathers' emotion‐related parenting behaviors.     

Child Abuse: an ecological perspective

Open‐ended, divergent questions have been found to be important for children's cognitive and language development. However, there is a paucity of research concerning the types of questions that teachers ask in day care centers that serve primarily children from low‐income families. In this study, the types of teachers’ questions to 50 three‐year‐olds [25 boys and 25 girls] from low‐income families were analyzed. The total sample of 36‐42 month‐old children was observed in 10 day care centers. Each child was observed for 80 minutes across five typical day care settings. All of the “true” questions were coded as convergent or divergent, and the children's responses to these questions were analyzed. There were a total of 667 “true” questions asked during approximately 70 hours of observation. For both boys and girls, 88#pc of the questions were convergent and 12#pc divergent. The children were equally compliant to convergent and divergent questions. These day care children were overwhelmingly asked convergent questions [p #lt.001] by teachers. Three‐year‐olds are equally capable of answering divergent and convergent questions. These results indicate that teachers need training in how to ask more divergent questions to young children in order to enhance language and cognitive development.

     

Fathering and adolescents' psychological adjustment: the role of fathers' involvement, residence and biology status

Background Studies on fathering and child mental health are now increasingly looking for specificity in children's psychological adjustment, indicating whether the impact of fathering is diagnostically specific or non‐specific. Methods Data from 435 fathers of secondary school‐aged children in Britain were used to explore the association between resident biological fathers', non‐resident biological fathers' and stepfathers' involvement and children's total difficulties, prosocial behaviour, emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity and peer problems (all measured with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire) in adolescence. Results After controlling for child‐, father‐ and family‐related factors, fathers' involvement was negatively associated with children's total difficulties and hyperactivity, was positively associated with children's prosocial behaviour, and was unrelated with children's emotional symptoms, conduct problems and peer problems. There was no non‐resident biological father effect. Compared with resident biological fathers, stepfathers reported more total difficulties, conduct problems and hyperactivity in their children even after adjusting for involvement. Conclusions Whether this reflects stepfathers' low tolerance levels or biological fathers' complacency, as sociobiologists would argue, or whether this is due to pre‐existing predispositions of children in families which separate and restructure, to the effects of these multiple family changes or to the high exposure of children in restructured families to parental risk factors, is, given the data available and the study design, unclear. However, this study showed that, compared with their peers in biological father families, adolescents in stepfather families are perceived to be at higher risk of behaviour problems, and that father involvement is related to specific aspects of child adjustment.     

A descriptive study of day care characteristics

The present study describes federally funded day care centers from a large metropolitan area in relation to the arrangement of classroom physical space, child care providers' interactions with children, and the intensity of children's involvement with activities and materials, as well as the structural context. The day care characteristics observed were: (a) well equipped classrooms with a variety of materials; (b) provider involvement in maintenance contexts and brief interactions; (c) providers engaged directly with children most of the time; (d) neutral and management oriented interactions with children; (e) high adult structure but low percentage of structured learning (lesson) time; and (f) relatively low child involvement in activities. The data present a profile of a child-maintenance program, or custodial care.     

A comparison of young children's environments and parental expectations in Japan and Israel

Data from a long‐term follow‐up study of 632 born in Calgary in 1980 are reported, with particular reference to the experience of day care and its association with parental factors and the children's adjustment when they were, on average 6#lb7 years old. The sample was specially selected to include a high proportion of children with serious disabilities, and data for these children have been considered separately. Children with several years of day care behind them did not display attachment problems when they entered elementary schooling. They were however more active and aggressive than children without day care experience. This activity pattern is associated with Type A behaviour, which represents busy, active, competitive children. These traits probably reflect parental ambitions and activity patterns. Mothers who stayed home to look after several children were much more likely to be seriously depressed than mothers who returned to the external labour force in their child's preschool years. Maternal depression was associated with neurosis and depression in the child. This study gives support to the idea that high quality, affordable and universally available day care would be supportive of parental child care roles. Several sub‐types of adaptation and day care experience have been identified, and hypotheses for exploration in a longer term study are suggested.     

Family and Child Characteristics,Child-Rearing Factors,and Cognitive Competence of Young Children

In this paper, the contribution of a number of family, child, and parental child-rearing characteristics to the explanation of differences in the cognitive competencies of young children are considered. A model is formulated with not only clear attention to the ethnic and linguistic characteristics of the family, but also such factors as the child-rearing behavior of the parents, parent-child interactions, and the child-rearing competence of the parents. The model is then evaluated with the aid of data from a recent large-scale Dutch study of six-year-old children ( n = 10,774). The results of the LISREL analyses show the parental level of education to play a central role in the explanation of differences in the cognitive competencies of the children. The ethnic origin of the family, the use of Dutch in the home, and the parental level of mastery of the Dutch language are also found to be of influence. Parental child-rearing factors, however, do not affect the children's cognitive competence.     

Levers and barriers to patient-centred care with children: findings from a synthesis of studies of the experiences of children living with type 1 diabetes or asthma

Background The last 50 years have seen a sea change in approaches to health care with children, from a time when children were routinely separated from parents while in hospital, to current recognition of the importance of placing the experiences of children and their families at the heart of care. Yet, there is a gap in the evidence about how children's involvement might be best achieved.This study aimed to synthesize findings of children's experiences of long‐term illness and, from this, to identify levers and barriers to patient‐centred care with children. Methods A synthesis of studies of the experiences of children living with type 1 diabetes or asthma. Data sources Eight health and social care databases, bibliography searches and consultation with field experts and first authors of included studies. Eligibility criteria Qualitative studies with children 10 years (mean) and younger on their experiences of living with type 1 diabetes or asthma. Main results Findings suggest key ‘levers’ to patient‐centred care with children include: (1) engagement with children's expertise about their own lives: their personal and social experiences of their care, including how these are affected by their relative lack of power in some settings; (2) exploring children's understandings and preferences in terms of their physical sensations and day‐to‐day experiences; (3) willingness to find resources to engage with even the youngest children; (4) avoiding age‐based assumptions about children's contributions to their care. Discussion and conclusions Action on the above ‘levers’ may present a range of challenges in healthcare settings not least because it represents a move away from medicine's historical focus on children's developing competencies to engage rather with children's social realities from the earliest ages.     

Disentangling the Associations Between Contextual Stress,Sensitive Parenting,and Children's Social Development

The impact of an accumulation of sociocontextual stress on children's social skill development was examined among 167 predominantly African American mothers and their 2‐year‐old children. Two theoretical models were considered. First, based on Rutter's (1979) cumulative risk approach, an accumulation of stress was hypothesized to moderate the impact of sensitive parenting on change in social skills such that the protective effects of sensitive parenting declined when cumulative stress reached a critical threshold. Second, based on a family stress model approach, an accumulation of stress was expected to indirectly affect social skills by way of sensitive parenting; that is, sensitive parenting was expected to explain or mediate any direct links between cumulative stress and children's social skills. Results were only consistent with the moderational hypothesis. Contrary to expectations, sensitive parenting predicted increases in social skills from age 2 to 4 only under conditions of the highest cumulative stress.     

A community-based study of sleep and behaviour problems in 12- to 36-month-old children

Background While evidence suggests sleep problems are common in young children and linked to behavioural problems, studies of toddlers are rare. This community‐based cross‐sectional study examined associations between sleep problems and daytime behaviour among 58 children aged 1 to 3 years who attended daycare centres. Methods Mothers and daycare providers completed four and three questionnaires, respectively, about children's sleep patterns and behaviour. Two hypotheses were tested: (1) children with higher sleep problem scores would have more behavioural problems by parental and daycare provider report; (2) problematic napping behaviours would be associated with night sleep problems. Results Mothers' reports of sleep problems were positively associated with children's behavioural problems at home and daycare providers' reports of nap problems were positively correlated with children's behavioural problems at daycare. Daycare providers' reports of children's behavioural problems at daycare were associated with maternal reports of behavioural problems. Older children in the sleep problem group had maternal reports of more behavioural problems. Daycare providers reported that children with sleep problems were less happy at daycare. Children who were happier following naps had less reported night settling difficulties. Children with difficulty settling for naps at daycare had maternal reports of more behavioural problems. Conclusions Napping in daycare settings is an important component of toddlers' sleep. Crossover effects between children's sleep and behaviour at daycare and home indicate similarities in mothers' and daycare providers' perceptions. Findings suggest parent and daycare provider interactions include discussions about sleep problems and settling at home and in daycares. Parents and daycare providers would benefit from education about relationships between sleep and behavioural problems.