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Differential susceptibility to rearing experience: the case of childcare

Michael Pluess1, Jay Belsky

  • 1Institute for the Study of Children, Families and Social Issues, Birkbeck University of London, London, UK.

Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and Allied Disciplines
|January 30, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Children with difficult temperaments show varied developmental outcomes based on childcare quality. High-quality care benefits these children, while low-quality care exacerbates behavioral issues, supporting differential susceptibility.

Area of Science:

  • Child development
  • Developmental psychology
  • Early childhood education

Background:

  • Existing research on non-maternal childcare effects shows inconsistencies.
  • These inconsistencies may stem from overlooking individual differences in children's susceptibility to environmental influences.
  • The differential susceptibility hypothesis suggests children vary in their responsiveness to experiences.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the interaction between child temperament and childcare characteristics.
  • To examine how childcare type, quantity, and quality influence behavior problems and social competence.
  • To test Belsky's differential susceptibility hypothesis in the context of early childcare.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care.
  • Employed multiple regression analysis to examine interactions.
  • Focused on teacher-rated behavior problems and social competence at 54 months and kindergarten entry.

Main Results:

  • Childcare quality significantly interacted with infant negativity (temperament) in predicting outcomes.
  • Childcare type and quantity showed independent effects, not moderated by temperament.
  • Infants with difficult temperaments exhibited more problems in low-quality care and fewer problems in high-quality care compared to easy-tempered infants.

Conclusions:

  • Infants with negative emotionality are more sensitive to the quality of their caregiving environment.
  • Both positive and negative caregiving experiences have a more pronounced impact on negatively-emotional infants.
  • Childcare quality is a critical factor influencing developmental trajectories, particularly for susceptible children.
Abstract

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