Journal Article

Cognitive and Socioemotional Caregiving in Developing Countries

Bornstein, Marc H., Putnick, Diane L.

2012

Overview

Enriching caregiving practices foster the course and outcome of child development. This study examined 2 developmentally significant domains of positive caregiving— cognitive and socioemotional— in more than 127,000 families with under-5 year children from 28 developing countries. Mothers varied widely in cognitive and socioemotional caregiving and engaged in more socioemotional than cognitive activities. More than half of mothers played with their children and took them outside, but only a third or fewer read books and told stories to their children. The GDP of countries related to caregiving after controlling for life expectancy and education. The majority of mothers report that they do not leave their under-5s alone. Policy and intervention recommendations are elaborated.

• Publisher: Blackwell Publishing Ltd,Wiley-Blackwell
• Subject: Adolescent / Adult / Biological and medical sciences / Caregivers / Caregiving / Carers / Caring / Child / Child Care / Child Development / Child Rearing / Child welfare / Child, Preschool / Children / Cognition / Cognitive Development / Cognitive psychology / Cross-Cultural Comparison / Data Collection / Developing Countries / Developing Nations / Developmental psychology / Educational Status / Emotional Development / Emotions / Female / Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology / Gross domestic product / Humans / Infant / Infants / Intervention / Language Development / LDCs / Life expectancy / Male / Middle Aged / Mothers / Mothers - education / Parent Child Relationship / Parenting / Parenting - psychology / Parents / Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry / Psychology. Psychophysiology / Singing / Social Development / Social policy / Socialization / Socioeconomic Factors / Socioeconomic status / SPECIAL SECTION: Child Development in Developing Countries / Surveys and Questionnaires / Young Adult