The effects of out-of-home care on the development of social competence in Sweden: A longitudinal study

Abstract

In this study, 140 Swedish preschoolers and their parents were first contacted, observed, and interviewed when the children averaged 16 months of age. Subsequently, 53 children entered day-care centers, and 33 were enrolled in family day-care facilities. Further assessments of the children, their families, and their care facilities took place 3, 12, and 24 months after the initial assessment. As predicted, type of child care had no apparent impact on the children's sociability or personality maturity, as measured 24 months after the study began. However, the quality of care received both at home and in the out-of-home care facilities, reported family social support, and child gender helped predict personality maturity (as reported by the mothers using the Block CCQ) and observed social skills with familiar peers and unfamiliar adults.