MITIGATING SUSCEPTIBILITY WITH THE CHILD CARE DEVELOPMENT FUND: USING FOUR LARGE DATA SETS TO CLASSIFY RISK PROFILES AND RISK TRANSMISSION BY MODIFIABLE FACTORS

低收入家庭经常经历早期环境压力，影响整个生命周期的结果，包括学业成就、身心健康，并最终导致过早死亡和生活质量下降。确定具体的风险轨迹和干预点将使有限的联邦资源得到更有效的利用。目前的提案旨在实现这些目标，有四个主要目标。目的1。确定具有不同早期环境风险概况的亚人群。本研究将利用NICHD SECCYD、ECLS-B、婴儿面孔和脆弱家庭的数据，确定在出生/接近出生时、1岁/接近1岁和3岁时暴露于各种环境风险因素（例如，符合TANF条件但未登记、贫困阈值、家庭冲突、出生/产前并发症、住房不稳定、低母亲教育水平和家庭组成）的不同特征的儿童亚群。这项研究还将调查三岁前环境风险的持续时间和时间。目标2。研究早期风险和支持档案对儿童后期结局的影响。本研究将测试早期风险概况在预测以后的学业、健康和社会情感方面的效用。具体来说，出生时存在的风险概况如何预测5岁和9岁的结果，以及从出生到3岁的风险概况的慢性/稳定性如何与5岁和9岁的结果相关。此外，这项研究将调查是否有儿童更容易或更少地受到早期风险暴露对以后儿童结局的负面影响。目标3。检查可改变的母亲特征在早期风险概况对后期儿童结局的影响中的潜在作用。许多干预措施侧重于改善养育方式，而两代人解决办法表明，改善产妇心理健康和教育/职业培训也可能有助于打破环境逆境与儿童不良后果之间的联系。本研究检验了风险状况对结果的影响是否由母亲抑郁和/或积极的养育方式介导，假设早期逆境会导致母亲抑郁，并加剧不良的儿童结局，而积极的养育方式将起到保护作用。这项研究还将测试产妇教育/职业培训的变化是否具有保护作用。目标4。检查儿童保育因素对风险概况和以后儿童结局之间关系的潜在调节作用。积极的早期教育经历是经历环境逆境的家庭的重要支持。相反，长时间接受低质量护理会加剧家庭层面的风险。因此，本研究将探讨儿童保育因素对风险轨迹的调节作用。本研究假设，高质量的早期儿童保育将作为对儿童负面结果的缓冲，但照顾者心理健康状况不佳、护理质量较低和工作时间较长将加剧风险。此外，本研究假设，儿童保育补贴的使用将增加更好结果的可能性，但只有当它提供更高质量的护理。

Early environmental stressors are frequently experienced in low-income families and impact outcomes across the lifespan, including academic achievement, mental and physical health, and ultimately result in both earlier mortality and reduced quality of life. Characterizing specific risk trajectories and points of intervention would make more efficient and effective use of limited federal resources. The current proposal works toward these goals with four broad aims. Aim 1. To identify subpopulations with different early environmental risk profiles. This study will identify subpopulations of children who are characterized by different profiles of exposure to a wide range of environmental risks factors (e.g., TANF eligible but not enrolled, poverty threshold, family conflict, birth/prenatal complications, housing instability, low maternal education, and household composition) at/near birth, at/near age one, and at age three using data combined from the NICHD SECCYD, ECLS-B, Baby FACES, and Fragile Families. This study will also examine duration and timing of environmental risks across the first three years of life. Aim 2. To examine the effects of early risk and support profiles on later child outcomes. This study will test the utility of early risk profiles in predicting later academic, health, and socio-emotional child outcomes. Specifically how risk profiles present at birth are predictive of age five and nine outcomes, and how the chronicity/stability of risk profiles from birth to age three is associated with age five and nine outcomes. Further, this study will examine whether there are children who are more or less susceptible to the negative effects of early risk exposure on later child outcomes. Aim 3. Examine the potential role of modifiable maternal characteristics in the effects of early risk profiles on later child outcomes. Many interventions focus on improving parenting, and two-generation solutions suggest that improving maternal mental health and education/job training may also help break the link between environmental adversity and negative child outcomes. This study test whether the effects of the risk profiles on outcomes are mediated by maternal depression and/or positive parenting, hypothesizing that early adversity will contribute to maternal depression, and exacerbate poor child outcomes, while positive parenting will be protective. This study will also test whether changes in maternal education/job training are protective. Aim 4. Examine the potential moderating role of child care factors on the relationship between risk profiles and later child outcomes. Positive early education experiences are a critical support for families experiencing environmental adversity. Conversely, long hours in low quality care can exacerbate family-level risk. Thus, this study will examine moderation of risk trajectories by child care factors. This study hypothesizes that high quality early child care will serve as a buffer against negative child outcomes, but that poor caregiver mental health, lower quality care and longer hours will exacerbate risk. Further, this study hypothesizes that child care subsidy usage will increase the likelihood of better outcomes, but only when it provides access to higher quality care.