Daycare Experiences and Long-Term Behavioral Outcomes: A RetrospectiveSelf-Report

The current study examined existing data to determine whether family SES, age of entry into daycare, time spent in daycare per week, and child personality variables predicted behavioral outcomes. Our analyses indicated that, for this sample, the best predictor of problem behavior was personality. Specifically, individuals low in agreeableness re- ported more problem behavior than did individuals high in agreeableness. Family SES, age of entry into daycare, and amount of time spent in daycare were not significantly related to problem behavior. Although daycare quality was signifi- cantly correlated with problem behavior, it only accounted for 2% of the variance. Such findings indicate that future re- searchers should examine mediating or moderating effects of personality on the relationship between daycare and behav- ior.