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Early childhood child care and disruptive behavior problems during adolescence: a 17‐year population‐based propensity score study
Author(s) -
Orri Massimiliano,
Tremblay Richard E.,
Japel Christa,
Boivin Michel,
Vitaro Frank,
Losier Talia,
Brendgen Mara R.,
Falissard Bruno,
Melchior Maria,
Côté Sylvana M.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of child psychology and psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.652
H-Index - 211
eISSN - 1469-7610
pISSN - 0021-9630
DOI - 10.1111/jcpp.13065
Subject(s) - socioeconomic status , aggression , psychology , early childhood , population , developmental psychology , poison control , child development , longitudinal study , injury prevention , medicine , demography , clinical psychology , pediatrics , environmental health , pathology , sociology
Background Child‐care services during early childhood provide opportunities for social interactions that may facilitate children's learning of acceptable social behaviors. Furthermore, they may reduce exposure to family adversity for some children. The aim of this study was to determine whether intensity of exposure to child‐care services prior to age 5 years has a beneficial effect on disruptive behavior problems during adolescence, and whether the effect is more pronounced for children from low socioeconomic families. Methods N = 1,588 participants from the Québec Longitudinal Study of Child Development were assessed 14 times from 5 months to 17 years. Intensity of child‐care exposure was measured from 5 months to 5 years of age. Main outcomes were self‐reported physical aggression and opposition from age 12 to 17 years. Family socioeconomic status (SES) was measured at 5 months. Factors explaining differences in child‐care use were controlled using propensity score weights ( PSW ). Results Children exposed to moderate‐intensity child‐care services (part‐time child‐care services before 1½ years and full time afterward) reported lower levels of physical aggression ( d = −.11, p = .056) and opposition ( d = −.14, p = .029) during adolescence compared to children exposed to low‐intensity child‐care services. A significant child care by SES interaction ( p = .017) for physical aggression indicated that the moderate‐intensity child‐care effect was specific to children from low SES families ( d = −.36, p = .002). No interaction with socioeconomic status was found for opposition. Conclusions Moderate‐intensity child‐care services from infancy to school entry may prevent disruptive behavior during adolescence, especially for disadvantaged children.