Child’s temperament, caregivers’ stress, and child’s emotional-regulatory functioning in daycare centers.

The pandemic emergency has increased the risk for children’s psychological well-being. So far, caregivers’ stress and children’s self-regulatory diffculties have been investigated in the context of the parent-child (from 2-years upward) relationship, through parent reports (Di Giorgio et al., 2021; Spinelli et al., 2020). The study investigates regulatory functioning among younger children through a physiological measure, in relation to the parent- and teacher-perceived stress, and parent/teacher reports of child’s functioning. 138 children (Mage=23.4 months, F = 71) attending daycare centers with their parents and teachers were recruited. Measures include the child’s salivary cortisol (biological stress-marker), indicators of socio-emotional-regulatory and adaptive behavior (Bayley scales), temperament (IBQ/ECBQ), and parent/teacher’s stress (PSI). Results of a SEM (χ2(26)=29.09, p=.031, CFI=.987, RMSEA=.029, SRMR=.041) show that child’s temperament (negative a effect and low effortful control) impacts significantly maternal stress, which, in turn, impacts child’s stress (cortisol level) in a negative circle. Child’s effortful control is also directly associated with the Bayley indicators of adaptive behavior. The model shows no associations between child’s and teacher’s stress.