Day care, maternal mental health and child development: evidence from a longitudinal study

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.