Relationships between Young Children's Day Care Experience and Their Attachment Relationships with Parents and Socioemotional Behavior Problems

영유아기의 탁아 경험과 유아의 부모에 대한 애착 및 사회정서적 문제행동과의 관계

The purpose of the current study was to determine whether preschoolers' attachment relationships with their parents and socioemotional behaviors are related to their day care experiences in infancy and at the present time. The participants consisted of 59 preschoolers and their mothers from 2-parent, white, middle-class dual earner families in Madison, Wisconsin. Preschoolers' attachment quality was measured by two representational instruments: the Separation Anxiety Test and "My Family and Friends". Mothers completed questionnaires about their family background and their children's day care history. The quality of current day care was obtained from directors' reports about regulatable features of the day care centers. Teachers completed the Preschool Behavior Questionnaire. Data was analyzed by hierarchical multiple regression analysis. The results showed that the quality of preschoolers' attachment relationships with parents were significantly related to the amount of day care during infancy, the quality of current care, and children's gender. In addition, the amount of infant day care appeared to have negative relations with children's socioemotional behavior problems as evaluated by teachers.