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Cumulative Risk and Continuity in Nonparental Care from Infancy to Early Adolescence

Malinda J Colwell1, Gregory S Pettit, Darrell Meece

  • 1Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Texas Tech University.

Merrill-Palmer Quarterly (Wayne State University. Press)
|January 5, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Nonparental care arrangements showed little continuity over time. However, early self-care and unsupervised peer contact predicted later externalizing behavior problems, largely explained by family and social factors.

Area of Science:

  • Child Development
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Behavioral Science

Background:

  • Nonparental care is common during childhood.
  • Understanding its long-term effects on behavior is crucial.
  • Continuity and cumulative effects of care arrangements need examination.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine continuity in nonparental care arrangements.
  • To assess additive and cumulative associations with externalizing behavior problems.
  • To determine if social-ecological and social-experiential factors explain these relations.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal study of 438 children from infancy to early adolescence.
  • Analysis of variations in nonparental care amounts.
  • Statistical modeling to examine continuity, cumulative risk, and mediating factors.

Main Results:

  • Little evidence of cross-time continuity in care arrangements.
  • Grade 1 self-care and Grade 6 unsupervised peer contact predicted Grade 6 externalizing problems.
  • Family background and social relationship factors accounted for most predictive associations.

Conclusions:

  • Nonparental care arrangements are not consistently used over time.
  • Early experiences with self-care and peer contact can predict later behavior issues.
  • Socioeconomic status, parenting quality, and peer influences are key mediators.

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