Return on Investment: Sensitive Parenting in Childhood Creates 13-Fold Cost Savings

Source: University of Rochester

A recent study found that subtle, responsive parenting - specifically in early childhood - has a direct association with not only positive mental and physical health, but also financial benefits for families and society. Average costs for children raised by the most responsive parents are well under $3,000, compared to more than $30,000 for children raised by the least receptive parents.

Sensitive (or responsive) parenting is a style often described as sensitive parental sensitivity and responsiveness to child distress, an loving and engaged style, and the use of firm rather than harsh discipline. Previous studies have associated sensitive parenting with improved cognitive outcomes for children.

“We have known for some time that the quality of early parenting is associated with behavioral health and physical health in children, as well as success in school and in the peer group,” said O’Connor.
 
The study enrolled about 170 children and adolescents from two different sample groups, one at moderate-risk - recruited through anti-social behavior screening in primary school - and one at high-risk of poor outcomes who had previously been referred to child mental health clinics for anti-social behavior. The goal was to assess parental awareness of the child’s needs, sensitivity to their signals, promotion of child play, and adoption of the child’s point of view.
And they found out that sensitive parenting leads to higher returns
 

Also read: Paranoid Parenting: Killing Minds