Quality of mom’s time, not quantity, most important in early infant development

Working mothers in the United States can relax. Their kids might still get into Harvard. A study from researchers at the University of Texas at Austin found no differences in children’s social and intellectual development during the first three years of life between those whose mothers spent a lot of time with them in infancy and those whose mothers spent less time because they worked outside the home. The results were published in the March/April 2005 issue of the journal Child Development.

The findings are significant because more than half of American infants have mothers who are employed at least part-time during their child’s first year of life. Many psychologists and parents worry that the time mothers spend away from their babies when at work detracts from mothers’ ability to be sensitive to their babies’ needs and to provide cognitive stimulation to their children.

Dr. John Grohol is the CEO and founder of Psych Central. He is an author, researcher and expert in mental health online, and has been writing about online behavior, mental health and psychology issues -- as well as the intersection of technology and human behavior -- since 1992. Dr. Grohol sits on the editorial board of the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking and is a founding board member and treasurer of the Society for Participatory Medicine.

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    Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 25 Mar 2005
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