Factors moderating the link between early childhood non-parental care and ADHD symptoms
Lian Tong1,2, Ichiro Kawachi2
1Department of Maternal and Child Health, School of Public Health and Key Laboratory of Public Health Safety, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
Insights
Non-parental care, such as from grandparents or babysitters in early childhood, is linked to increased attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in preschoolers. Female gender and having siblings were stronger influencing factors than family income or region.
Area of Science:
- Child psychology
- Developmental pediatrics
- Behavioral science
Background:
- Limited understanding of the link between non-parental early childhood care and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms.
- Need to investigate the association between care by grandparents/babysitters and ADHD symptoms in preschoolers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the association between non-parental childcare (grandparents/babysitters) in infancy and preschool and ADHD symptoms in preschoolers.
- To identify potential moderating factors influencing this association.
Main Methods:
- Stratified random sampling of 1597 parents with children aged 1.6-7 years in China.
- Assessment of ADHD symptoms using the preschool version of the ADHD Rating scale-IV.
- Regression analysis to determine the association between non-parental care and ADHD symptoms.
Main Results:
- Grandparental care during infancy correlated with increased ADHD symptoms (β = 1.03, P < 0.0001).
- Associations were significant for children in multiple-child families (β = 0.64, P = 0.0035) and rural areas (β = -0.78, P = 0.0032).
- Babysitter care in preschool showed a strong correlation with ADHD symptoms in girls (β = 7.95, P = 0.0042).
Conclusions:
- Early childhood non-parental caregiving by grandparents or babysitters is associated with higher ADHD symptoms.
- Child characteristics like female gender and siblings moderated the association more than family income or region.
Introduction:
There is little known about the association between non-parental care in early childhood and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in preschoolers. Therefore, we examined the association between childcare from grandparents/babysitters during infancy/preschool and ADHD symptoms in preschoolers.
Methods:
Using stratified random sampling, we developed a sample comprising 1597 parents of children aged 1.6-7 years who were enrolled in preschool in rural and urban areas of China. Parental reports of ADHD symptoms were assessed using the preschool version of the ADHD Rating scale-IV. A regression analysis was used to examine the association between childcare from grandparents/babysitters and ADHD symptoms.
Results:
Childcare from grandparents during infancy was associated with ADHD symptoms in childhood (β = 1.03, P < 0.0001). Significant associations between grandparental care and ADHD symptoms were also observed in children from families with more than one child (β = 0.64, P = 0.0035) and children living in rural areas (β = -0.78, P = 0.0032). A babysitter as the primary child caregiver in preschool was especially strongly correlated with ADHD symptoms in girls (β = 7.95, P = 0.0042). Moreover, region was strong factor associated with ADHD symptoms without adjustment for the non-parental caregivers' age and education, whereas family income was not strongly associated with ADHD symptoms.
Conclusion:
Non-parental caregiving (i.e., from grandparents or babysitters) in early childhood was associated with more ADHD symptoms in children. Certain characteristics in children, such as female gender and the existence of siblings, were stronger moderating factors than were family income and region.
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