Parental Material and Time Investment as Mediators Between Family SES and Toddlers’ Development: Evidence from Rural China

ABSTRACT

Research Findings: This study investigated the sequential mediating effects of parental material investment (MI) and time investment (TI) upon the correlation between family socioeconomic status (SES) and toddlers’ development (TD). Data derived from a 2016 data set, including a sample of 1,316 toddlers based in 117 villages across 22 counties within northwestern China, were utilized. Parents completed the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development III (BSID-III) and Ages & Stages Questionnaires: Social-Emotional (ASQ: SE). The mediation analysis revealed: (1) a significant positive correlation among family SES, parental material investment, time investment, and the development of toddlers aged 0–3 years; (2) family SES indirectly impacted toddlers’ development through the singular mediating pathway of material investment significantly, and the single mediating path of time investment was found to be insignificant; and (3) both material investment and time investment were recognized as the sequential mediators between family SES and toddler development. Practice or Policy: The study’s findings underscore the aspects of parental material and time investment that optimally support toddlers’ development. These results may also guide the structure and implementation of family interventions and policies designed to reduce the developmental disparity among toddlers from families of differing SES.

Acknowledgments

The authors greatly appreciate the participation of the children and their parents. Thank you to the dedicated team of Parental Future students, and research assistants who assisted with data collection.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data Availability Statement

For inquiries regarding dataset access, please contact Dr. Ai Yue at [email protected].

Additional information

Funding

This paper was sponsored by Decision Making Laboratory for Western China Education and Human Development, Innovation Research 2035 Pilot Plan of Southwest University [SWUPilotPlan004]; National Social Science and Humanity Foundation [ZDA338]; Chongqing Social Science and Humanity Foundation [2022YC028]; 111 program [B21036, B16031]; Chongqing doctoral innovation research project [CYB23092]; the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities [2022ZYYB23]; Natural Science Foundation of Shaanxi Province [2023-JC-QN-0784]; National Social Science Foundation of China [22BGL212]; National Natural Science Foundation of China [71933003]; Xi’an Social Science Foundation Project [23FZ03].