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Effects of infant day care: another look at the evidence
Thomas J Gamble1, Edward Zigler2
1Edmund L. Thomas Children's Center.
Insights
Early infant day care may impact social behavior and attachment, with family and child factors playing a role. Public policy should consider alternatives to group care for infants.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Child Social Development
- Attachment Theory
Background:
- Investigating the impact of early group care on infant development is crucial.
- Understanding the long-term effects of infant day care on social behavior is an ongoing area of research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review existing evidence on the effects of infant day care on attachment and social behavior.
- To identify factors influencing infant responses to early group care.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing scientific literature on infant day care.
- Analysis of methodological challenges in infant research.
- Identification of influencing factors such as family situation and individual child traits.
Main Results:
- Methodological limitations in current research impact the certainty of findings.
- Family situations and individual child characteristics, especially in boys, influence responses to day care.
- Early group care can affect infant attachment and later social behavior.
Conclusions:
- Alternatives to infant day care should be considered for public policy.
- Further research with improved methodologies is needed to clarify the effects of early group care.
- Supporting diverse family environments is essential for optimal infant social development.
Abstract:
Evidence concerning the effects of infant day care on attachment and later social behavior is reviewed. Although methodological problems, common to research with infants, undermine the findings of many studies, family situations and children's individual traits are identified as influencing their response to early group care, particularly for boys. Overall results suggest that, as a matter of sound public policy, alternatives to day care be made available to families with infants.