Poster #141 - Dutch Bayley-III Outcomes in Relation to Parents’ Educational Levels and Parenting Habits.

• In Event: 1-169 - Poster Session 04
  In Poster Session: PS 04 Section - Parenting & Parent-Child Relationships

Integrative Statement

Aim: in the norming sample of the Dutch Bayley-III-NL infants and toddlers of high educated mothers showed better cognitive and language development than those of medium and low educated mothers. Parenting dimensions that might be involved in these relationships are studied.
Methods: In the healthy subgroups of the norming sample 1507 Children (mean (sd) age = 17,9 (12,5); range=0-42 months; 52,7% boys; 16% Non-Dutch) were tested with the cognitive, language and motor scales of the Bayley-III-NL (Van Baar et al., 2014). Their mothers (mean (sd) age = 32,6 (4,78); range=18-54 years; education: low= 10,3%, medium= 35,8%, high=53,9% ) also answered the Comprehensive Early Childhood Parenting Questionnaire (CECPAQ; Verhoeven et al., 2017), with the dimensions support and stimulation for all children, and for toddlers older than 12 months also structure, positive and negative discipline. Four age groups (0-3; 4-11; 12-22; 23-42 months) were used. Of the fathers (mean (sd) age = 35,1 (5,67); range=17-67 years; education: low= 16,3%, medium= 32,0%, high=51,7% ) 291 also answered the CECPAQ.
Results: MANCOVA (corrected for sex, age, ethnicity, region) showed overall significant differences on the Bayley-III-NL between children of high, medium and low educated mothers in cognition and language, but not in motor development; overall, but specifically in the 12-22 and 23-42 months age groups. Educational level of fathers was found to be related only to language development in the 12-22 and 23-42 months age groups; see figure 1.
On the CECPAQ high, medium and low educated mothers of infants younger than 12 months, differed in stimulation (higher in the highest educated) but not in support, according to a MANCOVA (corrected for sex, age, ethnicity, region); For toddlers similar differences in relation to maternal education were found on the CECPAQ in stimulation, structure and in negative discipline. Fathers of infants under 12 months differed in stimulation, (higher in the low educated men), whereas fathers of toddlers showed no differentiation in parenting according to educational levels.
Linear regression analyses showed for all children that maternal education, as well as maternal stimulation were related to motor, cognitive and language development; for infants younger than 12 months maternal stimulation was related to motor development; for toddlers higher maternal education and less structure was related to progression in motor development; maternal education and stimulation were also related to language; and maternal education, stimulation and positive discipline were related to cognition.
Results regarding the parenting dimensions of the fathers showed significant regression models for language development, with more stimulation and less structure being related to better language development in toddlers and more stimulation by fathers being related to better motor development in infants and toddlers; see also table 1.
Conclusion: Early developmental outcome is clearly related to maternal educational levels and to parenting dimensions of both mothers and fathers. Especially the differentiation in stimulation provided within families already during the first year, needs further study. If this stimulation can be improved, segregation in relation to parental educational levels in toddlers may decrease.

Authors

• Anneloes van Baar, Utrecht University
  Presenting Author

• Marjolein Verhoeven, Utrecht University
  Non-Presenting Author