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Maternal sensitivity associated with social, academic development

Early maternal sensitivity has social and academic development implications from early childhood through adulthood, recently published data suggest.

“Altogether, the study suggests that children’s experiences with parents during the first few years of life have a unique role in promoting social and academic functioning – not merely during the first two decades of life, but also during adulthood,” Lee Raby, postdoctoral researcher at the University of Delaware, said in a press release.

The researchers utilized data from 243 patients from the Minnesota Longitudinal Study of Risk and Adaptation, studying the predictive nature of maternal sensitivity during the first 3 years of life for social and academic competence through adulthood (32 years).

Models showed that children who were exposed to more sensitive caregiving in the first 3 years of life demonstrated better social and academic outcomes.

“This suggests that investments in early parent-child relationships may result in long-term returns that accumulate across individuals’ lives. Because individuals’ success in relationships and academics represents the foundation for a healthy society, programs and initiatives that equip parents to interact with their children in a sensitive manner during the first few years of their children’s life can have long-term benefits for individuals, families and society at large,” Raby said in the release.

Disclosure: This study was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to Collins, a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to Cicchetti, and a doctoral dissertation fellowship from the University of Minnesota to Raby.