Poster #42 - Additive and Synergistic Relations of Early Mother-Child and Caregiver-Child Interactions and Socioeconomic Outcomes in Adulthood

• In Event: Poster Session 01

Abstract

Adults help support children’s early development in life through sensitive and stimulating interactions (Hirsh-Pasek & Burchinal, 2006). These experiences occur in both home and childcare settings and have been linked in both correlational and experimental research to better developmental outcomes (Campbell et al., 2001; Duncan et al., 2019; Fraley et al., 2013; Raby et al., 2015). However, the degree to which these early life experiences relate to socioeconomic outcomes in adulthood, and the mechanisms behind the potential associations, are less well understood. The current study fills these existing gaps by first examining to what extent early life interactions (i.e., first three years) with mothers and nonparental caregivers have additive or synergistic associations with key socioeconomic outcomes in adulthood (i.e., age 26 years). Second, the current study examines if these associations are mediated by childhood and adolescent achievement-related abilities.
Using the longitudinal, multi-site Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development, which started to follow children and families in 1991 (N = 1,364), data were collected at 6, 15, 24, 36, and 54 months, first, third, and fifth grade, and at ages 15 and 26. Early mother-child interactions (MCI) and nonparental caregiver-child interactions (CCI) were included as predictors of educational attainment, salary percentiles, and full-time employment status at age 26. Then, mediators of latent mathematics, vocabulary, and literacy in childhood and adolescence were included. Additionally, all models controlled for a host of child-, mother-, family-, and childcare-level covariates. Structural equation modeling was used in Mplus to examine all research questions (Muthén & Muthén, 2017) and analyses were pre-registered through a registered report.
Results indicated that MCI was positively associated with educational attainment, b = .48, p = .009, OR = 1.61 and negatively associated with full time employment, b = -0.56, p = .013, OR = 0.57 (see Table 1). After adding mediators to the model, MCI and mathematics significantly predicted educational attainment (MCI: beta = .21, p = .017; mathematics: beta = .24, p < .001) and full-time employment (MCI: beta = -.10, p = .009; mathematics: beta = .07, p = .005; see Figure 1). Specifically for educational attainment, only one other covariate, maternal education (beta = .23, p < .001), had a standardized effect comparable in magnitude to MCI and mathematics. Finally, mathematics, but not MCI, was statistically significant for salary percentiles (beta = .33, p = .001).
Overall, the study found no evidence of synergistic associations between MCI and CCI and age 26 socioeconomic outcomes. However, there was a significant main effect for MCI on educational attainment, suggesting that early stimulating and responsive interactions with mothers, or likely any parental figure, relate to educational attainment in adulthood. Additionally, indirect associations were observed for MCI on educational attainment and full-time employment due to mathematics abilities in childhood and adolescence, but not due to the other achievement domains (i.e., literacy and vocabulary). Ideally, these individuals will be followed up again in the future to determine to what extent these results change in the next decade of their lives.

Authors

• Robert Duncan, Purdue University, West Lafayette
  Presenting Author

• Inga Nordgren, Purdue University, West Lafayette

• Sara Anne Schmitt, University of Oregon

• Deborah Lowe Vandell, University of California - Irvine