The Who, What, and How of Caregiving in Singapore

In this chapter, we examine the effects of caregiving arrangements on young children’s outcomes using data from a two-wave study in Singapore. Maternal caregiving was associated with children’s prosocial behaviour while nonmaternal caregiving was associated with more emotional problems. We discuss how these associations may be influenced by sociodemographic factors, focusing on those that are especially pertinent in Singapore’s multi-ethnic society. To close, we consider implications for existing local efforts aiming to improve child wellbeing by targeting mothers and recommend that future programmes consider nonmaternal caregivers as intervention targets.