EARLY CARE GIVING EXPERIENCES HAVE LONG TERM EFFECTS ON SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS, ACHIEVEMENTS
Do the effects of
early caregiving experiences remain or fade as individuals develop? A new study
has found that sensitive caregiving in the first three years of life predicts
an individual's social competence and academic achievement, not only during childhood
and adolescence, but also into adulthood.
The study, by
researchers at the University of Minnesota, the University of Delaware, and the
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, appears in the journal Child
Development. It was carried out in an effort to replicate and expand on
findings from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development, which
showed that early maternal sensitivity has lasting associations with children's
social and cognitive development at least through adolescence.
"The study
indicates that the quality of children's early caregiving experiences has an
enduring and ongoing role in promoting successful social and academic
development into the years of maturity," notes Lee Raby, postdoctoral
researcher at the University of Delaware, who led the study.
Sensitive caregiving
is defined as the extent to which a parent responds to a child's signals
appropriately and promptly, is positively involved during interactions with the
child, and provides a secure base for the child's exploration of the
environment.
The researchers used
information from 243 individuals who were born into poverty, came from a range
of racial/ethnic backgrounds, and had been followed from birth into adulthood
(age 32) as part of the Minnesota Longitudinal Study of Risk and Adaptation.
Observations of interactions between mothers and their children were collected
four times during the children's first three years of life. At multiple ages
during childhood and adolescence, teachers reported on children's functioning
in their peer groups and children completed standardized tests of academic
achievement. During their 20s and early 30s, participants completed interviews
in which they discussed their experiences with romantic relationships and
reported their educational attainment.
Individuals who
experienced more sensitive caregiving early in life consistently functioned
better socially and academically during the first three decades of life, the
study found. The associations were larger for individuals' academic outcomes
than for their functioning in peer and romantic relationships. Moreover, early
caregiving experiences continued to predict individuals' academic, but not
social, functioning after accounting for early socioeconomic factors as well as
children's gender and ethnicity. Although families' economic resources were
important predictors of children's development, these variables didn't fully
account for the persistent and long-term influence of early caregiving
experiences on individuals' academic success.
"Altogether, the
study suggests that children's experiences with parents during the first few
years of life have a unique role in promoting social and academic
functioning--not merely during the first two decades of life, but also during
adulthood," according to Raby. "This suggests that investments in
early parent-child relationships may result in long-term returns that
accumulate across individuals' lives. Because individuals' success in
relationships and academics represents the foundation for a healthy society,
programs and initiatives that equip parents to interact with their children in
a sensitive manner during the first few years of their children's life can have
long-term benefits for individuals, families, and society at large."
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