Nonmaternal Care in Infancy and Emotional/Behavioral Difficulties at 4 Years Old: Moderation by Family Risk Characteristics

The authors examined the role of familial risk and child characteristics in the association between the type of child care in infancy (maternal care [MC]) versus nonmaternal care [NMC]) and emotional/behavioral difficulties at 4 years old. Canadian families ( N = 1,358) with children between 1 and 12 months old were followed over 4 years. Family risks were found to moderate the association between type of child care and physical aggression. MC in infancy was associated with lower levels of physical aggression among children from a low-risk family background but not among those from a high-risk family background. The effect size was small ( d = -0.16; confidence interval [CI] = -0.3, -0.01). Family risk and the sex of the child moderated the association between child care and emotional problems. MC in infancy was associated with a lower level of emotional difficulties among girls from low-risk families but not among boys or among children from high-risk families. The effect size was moderate ( d = -0.44; CI = -0.65, -0.23). The study indicates that the effect of child care type in infancy varies by family and child characteristics.