S u m m a r y

 

Hämäläinen, V-M., Kouvo, A. & Silvén, M. (2009)

Mother or day mother? The long-term effects of day care on psychological development.

Psykologia 44:364&endash;377. Sastamala ISSN 0355-1067.

There has been a lot of public discussion about the benefits of day care in Finland. The present study examined whether the age of entering day care and the amount of day care during the first four years of life predicted adolescents' self-reported social competence, emotional well-being and school achievement.

Parents reported annually on their first-born's day care experiences. When the adolescents turned 16, they answered questions about their social competence, emotional well-being, and school achievement.

The age of entering day care or the amount of day care did not explain the variation in adolescents' self-reported social competence, emotional well-being, or school achievement. This is important information for parents who are considering whether home care or day care would be a better option for their child.

 

Keywords: day care, social competence, emotional well-being, school achievement

 

Virpi-Maria Hämäläinen, PsM

psychologist, Lieksa family clinic

virpi.hamalainen@utu.fi

 

Anna Kouvo, PsM

Doctoral student, University of Turku

Department of Psychology

20014 University of Turku

 

Maarit Silvén, PsT

Professor, University of Turku

Department of Psychology

20014 University of Turku