EMPIRICAL ARTICLE
Child care and family processes: Bi-directional relations between child care quality, home environments, and maternal depression
Emma R. Hart,
Deborah Lowe Vandell,
Anamarie A. Whitaker,
Tyler W. Watts,
Emma R. Hart
Teachers College, Columbia University, New York City, New York, USA
Search for more papers by this authorDeborah Lowe Vandell
University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
Search for more papers by this authorAnamarie A. Whitaker
University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Tyler W. Watts
Teachers College, Columbia University, New York City, New York, USA
Correspondence
Tyler W. Watts, Department of Human Development, Teachers College, Columbia University, 525 W 120th St, New York, NY 10027, USA.
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this author
Emma R. Hart,
Deborah Lowe Vandell,
Anamarie A. Whitaker,
Tyler W. Watts,
Emma R. Hart
Teachers College, Columbia University, New York City, New York, USA
Search for more papers by this authorDeborah Lowe Vandell
University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
Search for more papers by this authorAnamarie A. Whitaker
University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Tyler W. Watts
Teachers College, Columbia University, New York City, New York, USA
Correspondence
Tyler W. Watts, Department of Human Development, Teachers College, Columbia University, 525 W 120th St, New York, NY 10027, USA.
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this author
First published: 08 November 2022
Funding information: A cooperative agreement (5 U10 HD027040) between the study investigators, including Deborah Lowe Vandell, and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) supported the design and data collection of the Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD) from birth through age 15 years. Further NICHD funding also supported the current analysis (1R01HD095930-01A1).
Abstract
The current study examined whether within-family changes in child care quality and quantity predicted subsequent changes in home environment quality and maternal depression across early childhood (6 to 54 months of age). Data were drawn from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (n = 1239; 77% White; 48% female; data collection from 1991 to 1996), and were analyzed using Random Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Models. Within-family increases in child care quality predicted modest increases in home environment quality (β = .13–.17). These effects were most robust from child age 6 to 15 months. Increases in child care quality produced small, statistically non-significant, reductions in depression. Time-specific increases in child care quantity were not consistently predictive of either outcome.
Supporting Information
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Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.
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