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Security of children's relationships with nonparental care providers: a meta-analysis

Lieselotte Ahnert1, Martin Pinquart, Michael E Lamb

  • 1Free University of Berlin and University of Magdeburg-Stendal, Germany. lieselotte.ahnert@karowberlin.de

Child Development
|May 12, 2006
PubMed

Insights

Secure child-caregiver attachment is less likely with non-parental care providers compared to parents. Factors like home-based care and caregiver sensitivity influence attachment security in young children.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Child Attachment Studies
  • Early Childhood Education

Background:

  • Understanding child attachment to non-parental care providers is crucial for child development.
  • Previous research has yielded mixed findings on the quality of child-caregiver relationships.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To meta-analyze existing research on the security of child attachments to non-parental care providers.
  • To identify factors influencing the quality of these attachments in early childhood.

Main Methods:

  • A meta-analysis of 40 studies involving 2,867 children aged approximately 30 months.
  • Attachment security was assessed using the Strange Situation (SS) and Attachment Q-Set (AQS).

Main Results:

  • Secure attachment to non-parental care providers was less likely than to parents (SS) or equally likely (AQS).
  • Home-based care, later assessment post-enrollment, and female gender were associated with more secure attachments.
  • Caregiver sensitivity predicted security in home-based care, while group sensitivity predicted security in centers.

Conclusions:

  • Child-caregiver attachment security varies based on the type of care setting and caregiver interaction styles.
  • Attachment security to non-parental caregivers is influenced by a complex interplay of environmental and individual factors.

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