Fitzsimons, Emla;
Parsons, Sam;
Schoon, Ingrid;
(2024)
The OHC penalty in the UK: maternal experience and child development.
Longitudinal and Life Course Studies
pp. 1-30.
10.1332/17579597Y2024D000000033.
(In press).
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Abstract
We examine the extent to which experience of out-of-home residential care (OHC) during childhood (ages 0–16) relates to development in the ‘next generation’. Specifically, we ask whether maternal experience of OHC during her own childhood is associated with the behavioural, emotional and cognitive development of her child (age 3), drawing on data collected for the UK Millennium Cohort Study. Comparing the children of OHC experienced mothers with those whose mothers had not spent time in care, we observe stark raw differences between their early development, with children of OHC mothers performing worse across all domains examined – cognitive (language and school readiness), behavioural and emotional adjustment. Using regression analyses, we show that while the disadvantages in cognitive (language) and emotional adjustment among children of OHC experienced mothers are explained by differences in the child’s family demographic characteristics and socio-economic status (SES), the associations between maternal OHC experience and behavioural problems and school readiness remain. Behavioural differences are mediated by aspects of parenting behaviours and the parent–child relationship; school readiness differences are only fully attenuated once maternal health and wellbeing measures are further accounted for. This article highlights the importance of extending support for those with OHC experience into adult life, particularly for those who become parents, and for particular attention to be given to initiatives that nurture parent–child relationships to help break the intergenerational transmission of disadvantage.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | The OHC penalty in the UK: maternal experience and child development |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1332/17579597Y2024D000000033 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1332/17579597Y2024D000000033 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). |
| Keywords: | Maternal out-of-home (OHC) care experience; Intergenerational transmission of disadvantage; Parent–child relationship; Early child development; Millennium Cohort Study |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education > IOE - Social Research Institute |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10200948 |
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