The influence of parent-infant cosleeping, nursing, and childcare on cortisol and SIgA immunity in a sample of British children

Dev Psychobiol. 2007 Sep;49(6):640-8. doi: 10.1002/dev.20248.

Abstract

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.

MeSH terms

  • Child
  • Child Care*
  • Child, Preschool
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Hydrocortisone / analysis
  • Hydrocortisone / metabolism*
  • Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / metabolism
  • Immunoglobulin A, Secretory / metabolism*
  • Male
  • Parent-Child Relations*
  • Parenting*
  • Pituitary-Adrenal System / metabolism
  • Saliva / chemistry
  • Sleep*
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • United Kingdom

Substances

  • Immunoglobulin A, Secretory
  • Hydrocortisone