| Description |
The current study used the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (NICHD-SECCYD) to examine the associations among marital status, home learning and home social environments, and preschool children's pre-academic and social skills at 36 and 54 months. Additionally, the current study investigated whether the existence of family monetary (income) and psychological (maternal depressive symptoms, social support, and parenting stress) resources could explain variability in home learning and social environments. Regression analyses showed that children of single families had lower pre-academic skills at 36 and 54 months. Both home learning and home social environments significantly predicted children's pre-academic and social skills at 36 months, but only the home learning environment predicted school readiness at 54 months. Sobel tests revealed that the home learning environment, which was significantly lower among single families, worked as a mediator to explain the relationship between single status and pre-academic skills at 36 and 54 months. Finally, parenting stress, which was significantly higher among single families, worked as a mediator to explain the relationship between single status and the home learning environment. The importance of targeting the home learning environment and parenting stress in early intervention has been discussed. |
