The influence of parent-infant cosleeping, nursing, and childcare on cortisol and SIgA immunity in a sample of British children.
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.
School of Medicine, Health Policy & Practice, University of East Anglia Norwich, Norfolk NR4 7TJ, UK. d.waynforth@uea.ac.uk
David
D
Waynforth
D002648:Child; D002654:Child Care; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000378:metabolism; D007071:Immunoglobulin A, Secretory / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D016487:Parenting; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000378:metabolism; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry; D012890:Sleep; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D006113:United Kingdom
D007071:Immunoglobulin A, Secretory; D006854:Hydrocortisone