Short- and Long-Term Effects of Child Care on Problem Behaviors in a Dutch Sample of Twins

Beijsterveldt, Catharina E. M. van; Hudziak, James J.; Boomsma, Dorret I.

doi:10.1375/1832427054253103

Cited by 11 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…After transformation, all skewness and kurtosis indices were between -1.0 and 1.0, implying that not much distortion is to be expected (Muthén & Kaplan, 1985). For MANOVA and ANOVA, CBCL, TRF and CITO data were corrected for SES for each child by taking at each age the difference between his/her score and the average score in his/ her SES group, as these scores are associated with SES (Van Beijsterveldt et al, 2005).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Twin Separation in Primary School

Leeuwen¹,

Berg

Beijsterveldt

et al. 2005

Twin Res Hum Genet

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W e studied the short-and long-term effects of classroom separation in twins on behavior problems and academic performance. Short-term effects were studied at age 7 in twins separated at age 5 and long-term effects at age 12 in twins who had been separated or together most of the time at school. Behavior problems were rated by mothers (Child Behavior Checklist at ages 3, 7 and 12) and teachers (Teacher Report Form at ages 7 and 12). Academic achievement was measured at age 12 using a national academic achievement test (CITO). At age 7, twins from separated pairs had more internalizing and externalizing problems than nonseparated twins, as rated by both mothers and teachers. Only for the maternal ratings of internalizing problems, however, could these effects be attributed to the separation itself and not to preexisting problems (at age 3) between separated and nonseparated twins. Long-term effects of separation were significant for maternal and teacher ratings of internalizing and externalizing problems, but these effects could be explained by preexisting differences between separated and nonseparated groups. There were no differences in academic achievement between the separated and nonseparated group. These results suggest that the decision to separate twins when they go to school is based in part on the existing behavioral problems of the twins and that, in the long run, separation does not affect problem behavior or academic achievement. The findings were the same for monozygotic and dizygotic twins.In the Netherlands, the majority of children start primary school at the age of 4 (Statistics Netherlands, Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek, n.d.) and this is when parents and teachers of twins decide whether or not to put the children into the same classroom. As there is hardly any research comparing the adjustment of twins who are separated versus those kept together at school, this decision is presently not evidence-based (Hay, 2004). The Dutch Society for Parents of Multiples (Nederlandse Vereniging voor Ouders van Meerlingen; NVOM) advises parents to base their decision whether or not to separate twins on what they think is best for their children, though generally NVOM believes separation to be best for the individualization of the twins (Geluk & Hol, 2001).Because of the importance of this question for parents of multiples, Tully et al. (2004) investigated the effects of classroom separation on twins' behavior, progress at school, and reading abilities. They studied a sample of 878 same-sex twin pairs from the United Kingdom (UK). The children were first assessed at the age of 5 years and were tested again approximately 18 months later. The assessment was done by the teacher and included externalizing and internalizing problems, prosocial behavior, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder symptoms, standard reading scores, how hard twins worked and how much they learned. The sample was divided into three groups: not separated (at both assessments twins were together in the same class, 552 pairs), separat...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Twin Separation in Primary School

Leeuwen¹,

Berg

Beijsterveldt

et al. 2005

Twin Res Hum Genet

Self Cite

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“…Empirical investigations have not always revealed significant associations between time in child care and behavior problems (Anme & Segal, 2004;Bacharach & Baumeister, 2003;Van Beijsterveldt, Hudziak, & Boomsma, 2005). Nevertheless, the finding has been replicated enough and is important enough to warrant further investigation.…”

Section: Time In Child Care Testing a Series Of Causal Propositions Rmentioning

confidence: 96%

Testing a series of causal propositions relating time in child care to children’s externalizing behavior.

McCartney¹,

Burchinal

Clarke‐Stewart

et al. 2010

Developmental Psychology

141

156

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Data from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development were used in this investigation, because they include repeated measures of child care experiences, externalizing behavior, and family characteristics. There were three main findings. First, the evidence linking child care hours with externalizing behavior was equivocal in that results varied across model specifications. Second, the association between child care hours and externalizing behavior was not due to a child effect. Third, child care quality and proportion of time spent with a large group of peers moderated the effects of child care hours on externalizing behavior. Child care hours was more strongly related to externalizing behavior when children were in low-quality child careand when children spent a greater proportion of time with a large group of peers. The magnitude of associations between child care hours and externalizing behavior was modest. Implications for parents and policymakers must take into account that externalizing behavior is predicted from a constellation of variables in multiple contexts. TIME IN CHILD CARE Testing a Series of Causal Propositions Relating Time in Child Care to Children's Externalizing BehaviorReviewers of the literature on early child care have frequently noted an association between spending more time in child care and exhibiting more externalizing behavior, such as assertive, disobedient, and aggressive acts (Belsky, 1986;2001;Clarke-Stewart & Fein, 1983).Longitudinal investigations of externalizing problems indicate that these behaviors often persist into elementary school (Campbell, 1995(Campbell, , 2002Campbell, Pierce, Moore, Marakovitz, & Newby, 1996;Verhulst & Van der Ende, 1992) and that elevated levels of externalizing problems are accompanied by peer rejection and poor academic performance (Campbell, 2002;Farmer & Bierman, 2002). Behavior problems can interfere with a child's acquisition of age-appropriate skills (Campbell, 2002), potentially leading to antisocial behavior in adolescence (Zahn-Waxler, Usher, Suomi, & Cole, 2005) and adulthood (Levenston, 2002). Even though child care experience has not been linked to clinical levels of problems, researchers and policymakers have worried that extensive use of child care in the early years might be a risk factor for increasing problem behaviors without causing clinical problems.Studies have demonstrated that children exhibit more of these negative behaviors if they spend more time in care before they enter kindergarten (Bates, Marvinney, Kelly, Dodge, Bennett, & Pettit, 1994;Magnuson, Meyers, Ruhm, & Waldfogel, 2004;Vandell & Corasaniti, 1990), are in more hours of care in the first year of life (Hofferth, 1999), start care at younger ages, or spend more hours there each day (Loeb, Bridges, Bassok, Fuller, & Rumberger, 2007).In the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD), associations were documented between the amount of time children had spent in child care and externalizing behavior at 24 months of age (NICHD Early C...

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“…Several studies have noted that, given their varying levels of quality, the type of CCS also needs to be taken into account when attempting to understand the effects of child care attendance on children (Belsky 2006;Drouin et al 2004;Goelman et al 2006;Japel et al 2005a, b;Leach et al 2008;Love et al 2005;Van Beijsterveldt et al 2005). Dowsett et al (2008) compared the characteristics of structural and process quality found in CCS provided by family members, center-based child care, and in family-based child care.…”

Section: Differences Between Center-based and Family-based Child Carementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Other studies report that center-based child care settings provide children with more space and more toys and educational materials than that which is available in other types of CCS (Love et al 2003;Vandell 2004;Van Beijsterveldt et al 2005). In centers, educational activities are more structured, spatial organization is better adapted to children's needs, and the educational program is applied more faithfully (Fuller et al 2004;NICHD ECCRN 2004).…”

Section: Differences Between Center-based and Family-based Child Carementioning

confidence: 99%

A Comparative Study of Structural and Process Quality in Center-Based and Family-Based Child Care Services

Bigras

Bouchard

Cantin

et al. 2009

Child Youth Care Forum

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This study seeks to determine whether center-based and family-based child care services differ with respect to process quality, as measured by the Educative Quality Observation Scales (EQOS, Bourgon and Lavallée 2004a, b, c), for groups of children 18 months old and younger. It also seeks to identify structural variables associated with process quality in these settings. The study included two types of regulated child care settings located in the greater Montreal area (center-based: N = 53 and family-based: N = 36). Results indicate that process quality was lower in family-based child care than in center-based child care for the majority of elements measured by the EQOS. Hierarchical regression analyses indicate that higher levels of process quality were associated with structural variables, including a lower adult-child ratio, the presence of more staff with specialized early childhood education training, and center-based care. The discussion focuses on strategies to improve these types of child care services.

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Short- and Long-Term Effects of Child Care on Problem Behaviors in a Dutch Sample of Twins

Cited by 11 publications

References 22 publications

Effects of Twin Separation in Primary School

Effects of Twin Separation in Primary School

Testing a series of causal propositions relating time in child care to children’s externalizing behavior.

A Comparative Study of Structural and Process Quality in Center-Based and Family-Based Child Care Services

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