Child Care Breeds Aggression

The largest study conducted on childcare has discovered that time children spend away from their parents could have negative effects on their social and emotional development, resulting in aggressive and disobedient behavior.

The 10-year, ten-city, federally funded study examined nearly 1,400 kids who received care from infancy to age 4_ at either a private facility or at their own home with a nanny or relatives. It found the degree of a child's negative behavioral tendencies was directly related to hours spent in childcare.

Those who spent 30 hours or more per week were likely to be more demanding and aggressive than those who spent fewer than 10 hours a week under someone else's care. They were also more prone to fighting, bullying, acting mean to other kids, and talking too much, behaviors which continue through kindergarten and possibly beyond.

Three out of four US children are in childcare.

The study is drawing fire from daycare providers. One provider told CBS 2's Paul Moniz that the study's findings are outrageous. Other experts on family life say stressed-out, irritable parents could be to blame for the behavior, not childcare alone, which is something the lead investigator of this study acknowledges.

"When parents are away from the children for this long and children are away from their parents, they're all tired and exhausted and the family processes go awry. There's more conflict," Dr. Jay Belsky explains.

Belsky suggests the solution is to reduce the amount of hours in childcare, either by introducing part-time work or allowing one parent to stay at home completely.

While it sounds like a good idea, it's a pipe dream for most people.

"In this economy, I must go back to work," says Mary Daniel, a new mother.

But the study does point up some good news. It shows kids in good-quality daycare programs had better language and memory skills than those in poorer-quality ones.

But even the best centers did not make kids less aggressive.

Researchers say there is no evidence children who spend a lot of time in daycare will go onto become violent, but some research shows aggression in younger years can continue through adolescence.
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