Day Care and Attachment

Abstract

PORTNOY, FERN C., and SIMMONS, CAROLYN H. Day Care and Attachment. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1978, 49, 239-242. The attachment behavior of 35 white, middle-class 31/2to 4-year-olds who had experienced different rearing histories was observed through a series of standardized episodes involving separations and reunions with the mother and a stranger. Group 1 children had been cared for continuously at home by their mothers. Children in group 2 were cared for at home by their mothers until age 3, when they were enrolled in a group day-care center. Group 3 children were enrolled in family day care at 1 year of age and entered a group day-care setting approximately 2 years later. No significant differences in attachment patterns were found for children with different rearing histories or as a function of the interaction between rearing history and sex. Some significant, though inconclusive, sex differences were found which suggest the need for further research on the appropriateness of the strange situation for this age group and the effect of day-care experiences on attachment behavior in low-income and single-parent families.