Day care and family dynamics

Jaipaul L. Roopnarine, Lynn M. Hempel

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

7 Scopus citations

Abstract

Twenty-one dual-earner families whose preschool-aged children entered day care before 6 months of age and 19 dual-earner families whose preschool-aged children entered day care during the second year of life filled out questionnaires on the nature of their children's caregiving environment; their perceptions of the effects of day care on parent-child interaction and children's development; their overall job satisfaction; social support networks; and personal well-being, marital stress, and companionship. Mothers and fathers reported high levels of satisfaction with the caregiving environment and the effects of day care. Parental perceptions of the effects of day care on parent-child interaction and children's development did not differ as a function of time of entry into day care. Parental perceptions of selected parent-child variables were associated with job satisfaction, social support, and the marital measures. Parental perceptions of parent-child interaction were related to their perceptions of the effects of day care on children's social and cognitive skills. Mothers and fathers differed in these perceptions. There was some support for a conceptual link between marital variables and children's functioning in day care.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)427-438
Number of pages12
JournalEarly Childhood Research Quarterly
Volume3
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 1988

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Education
  • Developmental and Educational Psychology
  • Sociology and Political Science

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