Sending children to childcare outside the home may not significantly affect children's mental health, according to a new study. This finding holds true even for children who face challenges, such as a parent's mental illness or financial struggles at home.
The research is published in the journal Development and Psychopathology.
Many children in the U.S. under the age of 5 years spend some time in childcare outside the home. Researchers wanted to learn whether attending childcare influenced the mental health of children, particularly those who had experienced early adversity.
"Despite the extensive use of childcare in the U.S. and documented benefits, there are still some concerns that childcare attendance (vs. staying at home with a parent) increases the risk for poor child outcomes," said Michelle Bosquet Enlow, Ph.D., of Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School. "This can lead to considerable feelings of guilt and worry for parents who use childcare."
The study looked at various forms of childcare, including center-based care, home-based non-relative care, and care by a relative. However, previous findings on the role of childcare in child mental health have produced mixed results. While many studies highlight positive associations with attending childcare, some raise concerns that childcare may increase the risk for poor developmental outcomes for children.
"Understanding how childcare can influence children's development, especially for those facing extra challenges, can help shape public policies that promote healthy outcomes for kids," said Dr. Bosquet Enlow.
Key findings
The findings suggest that while children facing higher levels of stress, mental illness in the family, and economic hardship were more likely to have higher levels of internalizing symptoms (such as anxiety and depression) and externalizing symptoms (such as aggression and hyperactivity), the number of hours in childcare did not appear to play a significant role in altering these outcomes.
The study followed 2,024 parent-child pairs from three diverse U.S. research groups within the ECHO Cohort. Participants were recruited from hospitals in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee, as well as from adoption agencies across the United States.
Researchers measured children's childcare experiences from birth to age 3 years and examined parental factors like childhood adversity, depression, and education level. Between ages 3 and 5.5 years, the children's mental health was assessed for symptoms like anxiety, depression, and aggression.