The influence of parent-infant co-sleeping, nursing, and childcare on cortisal and SlgA immunity in a sample of British children

Waynforth, David (2007) The influence of parent-infant co-sleeping, nursing, and childcare on cortisal and SlgA immunity in a sample of British children. Developmental Psychobiology, 49 (6). pp. 640-648. ISSN 1098-2302

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Abstract

Substantial variation in childcare arrangements exists both within and between populations. Research has suggested negative stress-related outcomes for children who regularly attend daycare facilities. In the present study, 122 cortisol and 94 secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA) samples from 32 British children aged between 3 and 8 were analyzed using multilevel modeling to assess effects of daycare attendance and other childcare-related variables on children's stress and SIgA immune function. Parents' reports of children's aggression and family discord within 2 hr of saliva collection were associated with elevated cortisol levels in children. With these acute stressors statistically controlled, retrospective data on parent-child cosleeping showed that children who had coslept in their parent(s) room had lower cortisol levels, as did children who had attended less daycare in the first 4 years of life. The parenting-related variables did not predict SIgA immunity. The results are discussed in the context of theories of parenting strategies.

Item Type: Article
Faculty \ School: Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Norwich Medical School
UEA Research Groups: Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Groups > Psychological Sciences (former - to 2018)
Depositing User: EPrints Services
Date Deposited: 25 Nov 2010 11:11
Last Modified: 15 Aug 2023 09:30
URI: https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/13938
DOI: 10.1002/dev.20248

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