Cumulative Socioeconomic Risk Factors and Infant Temperament

Abstract

Numerous studies in recent decades have shown a significant association between familiar socioeconomic status (SES) and child development. Less is known about the cumulative effects of socioeconomic risk factors, which may have a greater impact on child outcomes than single factors, especially in the first years of life. The study utilized latent mixture models to investigate the effects of socioeconomic risk factors on earlier infant temperament, a key predictor of later child development. Data from N = 271 families living in socially and culturally disadvantaged neighborhoods in the city of Bremen and participating in the BRISE (Bremen Initiative to Foster Early Childhood Development) study were analyzed. The considered risk factors included parental education, household income, parental employment status, immigrant background and single parenthood. Infant temperament was measured using four items from the Infant Behavior Questionnaire to assess negative affectivity. The latent mixture models showed three different groups of families: (1) families with high cumulative socioeconomic risk, (2) families with low cumulative socioeconomic risk, and (3) a mixed group of families. As hypothesized, infants from families in the group with increased risk factors exhibited significantly higher levels of negative affectivity compared to those in the lower risk group.