The aim of the present study is to investigate the relationship between the amount of day care and the quality of mother-child relationship for babies around 12 months of age. It is important to...Show moreThe aim of the present study is to investigate the relationship between the amount of day care and the quality of mother-child relationship for babies around 12 months of age. It is important to investigate this relationship as many more parents use daycare for young children nowadays than in the past. The sample of the current study was a semi-random selection from a larger longitudinal study. The participants consisted of 70 mothers between 25 and 44 years old (M = 32.9 years, SD = 3.9) and their babies who where around 12 months old (M = 378.9 days, SD = 12.8). Based on earlier research, it was predicted that fewer hours of day care would be associated with a more secure attachment relationship. In addition, it was predicted that this relationship would be moderated by the temperament and the gender of the child. Mothers where invited to participate in the Babylab at the Leiden University. The Strange Situation Procedure (Ainsworth, 1978) was used to assess attachment quality and temperament was measured by the Dutch version of the Infant Characteristic Questionnaire (Kohnstam, 1984). Contrary to our hypothesis, it was found that infants who spent more than 20 hours of day care were more securely attached than infants who had less than 20 hours of day care. This difference was found not to be moderated by the level of temperamental difficultness or the gender of the infant. In conclusion, the current study takes a more positive view on more hours of day care for babies around 12 months old. Future research should include factors, such as quality of daycare and caregiver sensitivity, to further clarify the relationship between attachment quality and amount of daycare usage.Show less
