Parenting practices and differential developmental delay across 17 countries

• In Event: 2-009 - Using Secondary Data to Identify Educational Outcomes among Special Populations

Abstract

Background

Over two-thirds of children worldwide have experienced adversity, including disadvantageous parenting behaviors, by their eighteenth birthday, increasing their risk for developmental delay. We examined how parenting practices differentially relate to child cognitive versus socioemotional developmental delay in a cross-national sample. Specifically, we hypothesized that parenting practices related to cognitive development (e.g. counting) and socioemotional development (e.g. physical discipline) will be differentially more associated with delay in their analogous developmental domains. Finally, we hypothesized that these associations will hold across national contexts.

Methods

The present analysis included 29,792 children aged 36-59 months across 17 countries of the UNICEF Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) collected between 2010 to 2014. The sample consisted of children with data on parental physical discipline, parenting behaviors associated with stimulation and deprivation, and child developmental outcomes. Developmental delay was indicated if a child could not accomplish 2 or more items within the socio-emotional or cognitive domains. Overall delay was determined if a child had low scores in either domains. Primary analyses used multivariable logistic regression.

Results

Five of seven adversities were associated with overall developmental delay. Physical discipline (OR=1·49 [95% CI 1·39-1·59]; p<0·001 had a significantly larger association with socio-emotional delay than any other adversity. Not having books (OR=1.62 [95% CI 1·42-1·84]; p<0.001) and not counting with the child (OR=1.47 [95% CI 1.32-1.64]; p<0.001) had larger associations with cognitive delay than all other adversities. These patterns held for the vast majority of associations in all countries.

Conclusions

While most of the adversities we examine were associated with overall delay, using the present framework found distinct, specific relationships between childhood adversities and domains of developmental delay. Prevention and intervention efforts should seek to understand or intervene on adversities that are relevant to the targeted delay.

Authors

• Carmel Salhi, Northeastern University
  Presenting Author

• Elizabeth Beatriz, Massachusetts Department of Public Health

• Ryan McBain, RAND Corp

• Dana McCoy, Harvard Graduate School of Education

• Guenther Fink, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute

• Margaret Sheridan, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill