Factors related to parents’ engagement in cognitive and socio-emotional caregiving in developing countries: Results from Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 3

Abstract

Stimulating caregiving practices facilitate early child development and learning. This study examined child-, family-, and country-level predictors of maternal and paternal cognitive and socio-emotional caregiving in 28 low- and middle-income countries, using data from the UNICEF 2005 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 3. The sample included 134,290 children, aged 0–4 years, from 100,270 families. Results indicated that maternal education and the country Human Development Index (HDI), an index reflecting the social and economic development of countries, were significant predictors of parents’ caregiving practices and had large effect sizes. Maternal education further moderated the association between the HDI and parents’ caregiving practices. The findings have important implications for supporting quality parenting and for promoting the well-being of young children in low- and middle-income countries.