Socioeconomic status and caregiving sensitivity among Chinese childcare centre teachers: adaptive caregiving belief as a mediator and childcare centre type as a moderator

Abstract

The critical developmental implications of childcare centre teachers’ caregiving sensitivity have been extensively documented. More efforts are pressing to identify antecedents of such sensitivity and elucidate implicated mechanisms. This study examined the association between socioeconomic status and caregiving sensitivity among Chinese childcare centre teachers, with adaptive caregiving belief as a mediator and childcare centre type as a moderator. Survey data for 1,316 Chinese teachers were used. The results indicated that teachers’ monthly income was positively associated with their caregiving sensitivity via positive associations with their verbal stimulation beliefs. This effect did not vary by childcare centre type. Our findings highlight possible avenues for interventions aimed at promoting caregiving quality in childcare centre setting, such as improving teachers’ adaptive caregiving belief.