Parenting and child competence: A longitudinal investigation of the moderating influences of ethnicity, family socioeconomic status, and neighborhood quality

Although there is considerable evidence that parenting influences the behavioral, cognitive, emotional, and social development of children, the effects of some parenting behaviors may not be universal. In the present study, child ethnicity, family socioeconomic status, neighborhood quality (i.e., crime and median income), and cumulative risk (i.e., composite of family socioeconomic status and neighborhood quality) were modeled as potential moderators of associations between parenting (i.e., maternal sensitivity and traditional values) and four child outcomes (i.e., behavior problems, depression, loneliness, and school performance). Pathways of mediation for these parenting measures were also explored. In addition, age trends in neighborhood effects were examined. Neighborhood quality moderated the effects of traditional parenting values and cumulative risk moderated the effects of maternal sensitivity. More specifically, high levels of traditional parenting values were associated with positive outcomes for children who lived in poor quality neighborhoods and negative outcomes for children who lived in high quality neighborhoods. Further, high levels of maternal sensitivity were associated with positive outcomes for children who lived in high-risk contexts, but were either not associated with or were negatively associated with positive outcomes for children who lived in low-risk contexts. However, maternal perceptions of the environments in which their families lived did not mediate associations between context and parenting. In addition, there was little evidence of age trends in the strength of neighborhood effects. The developmental science and clinical relevance of these findings is discussed

Quality Child Care Supports the Achievement of Low-Income Children: Direct and Indirect Pathways Through Caregiving and the Home Environment

Existing studies of child care have not been able to determine whether higher quality child care protects children from the effects of poverty, whether poverty and lower quality child care operate as dual risk factors, or whether both are true. The objective of the current study was to test two pathways through which child care may serve as a naturally occurring intervention for low-income children: a direct pathway through child care quality to child outcomes, and an indirect pathway through improvements in the home environment. Children were observed in their homes and child care settings at 6, 15, 24, and 36 months. An interaction between family income-to-needs ratio and child care quality predicted School Readiness, Receptive Language, and Expressive Language, as well as improvements in the home environment. Children from low-income families profited from observed learning supports in the form of sensitive care and stimulation of cognitive development, and their parents profited from unobserved informal and formal parent supports. Policy implications are discussed

Too early for early education? Effects on parenting for mothers and fathers

Objective: To estimate the effect of children's age of entry into early childhood education and care (ECEC) on parenting quality of mothers and fathers in a context of universal access to subsidized ECEC following a 1 year paid parental leave. Background: Children entering non-parental care settings in early childhood may have negative consequences for parenting quality. Yet, current evidence supporting this claim is predominantly from the United States, is focused almost exclusively on mothers, and is predominantly based on statistical approaches that are vulnerable to unobserved selection bias. Method: Data are from a Norwegian longitudinal study, including ratings of observed mother–child (n = 901) and father–child (n = 621) interactions, and children's age of entry into ECEC. Multivariate regression models and instrumental variable models were used to estimate the causal effect of age of entry on parenting quality. Results: There was no support for the hypothesis that an earlier age of entry into ECEC negatively affects parenting quality, for either fathers or mothers. This was true for the sample as a whole, and for different sociodemographic subgroups. Conclusion: In a Norwegian context in which families have universal access to subsidized ECEC from the time their child is 1 year of age, and most children enter ECEC in their second year, there is no evidence that an earlier age of entry in ECEC harms parenting quality.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Demographic Differences in Patterns of Youth Out-of-School Time Activity Participation

Participation in structured out-of-school time (OST) activities is of growing interest to families, youth practitioners, and policymakers. OST activities benefit youth socially, emotionally, and academically, especially at-risk youth. Yet, little research has explored the characteristics of youth participants. This study examines whether demographic differences exist merely in getting youth “in the door” of activities, or whether differences persist when examining the number of activities and the amount of time youth spend in activities once they are there. Results from two nationally representative datasets showed that disadvantaged youth were less likely to participate in a variety of activities than their peers, and participated in fewer numbers of activities. Among youth who did participate, Blacks and Hispanics participated less frequently in some activities, although Blacks participated more frequently in community-based youth programs. Implications for recruitment and retention are discussed, including the need for activity leaders to enhance efforts to attract and sustain disadvantaged and ethnic minority youth

Do more hours in center-based care cause more externalizing problems? A cross-national replication study

Whether high quantities of center-based care cause behavior problems is a controversial question. Studies using covariate adjustment for selection factors have detected relations between center care and behavior problems, but studies with stronger internal validity less often find such evidence. We examined whether within-child changes in hours in center-based care predicted changes in externalizing problems in toddlers and preschoolers (N = 10,105; 49% female; data collection 1993–2012) in seven studies, including from Germany, Netherlands, Norway, two from Canada and two from the U.S. Race/ethnicity data were only collected in the United States (57% and 80% White; 42% and 13% African-American; 1.2% and 5% Latinx). Meta-analyses showed no association (r = .00, p = .88) between hours in center-based care and externalizing problems

Concern Over Internal, External, and Incidence Validity in Studies of Child-Care Quantity and Externalizing Behavior Problems

Literature reviews have concluded that extensive time in early child care is associated with frequent externalizing behavior problems in children. In this article, we address three domains of validity in the work underlying these conclusions: internal, external, and incidence validity. Regarding internal validity, most studies rely on covariate‐adjusted correlations, an approach that is especially vulnerable to selection bias. In studies using more rigorous approaches to reduce selection bias, results are mixed and often inconsistent with the hypothesis that a high quantity of child care causes externalizing problems. Regarding external validity, the field has relied too heavily on U.S. samples. We call for more international replications to allow for sociopolitical variations. Regarding incidence validity, study designs have the widest relevance when structured to address the opportunities and constraints families face today. We suggest researchers ask questions about child‐care quantity that maximize validity in these three domains