The power of early experience: Neonatal skin-to-skin care mitigates SES-related disparities in developmental outcomes

Infants from lower-socioeconomic (SES) backgrounds are at increased risk for compromised developmental outcomes compared to infants from higher-SES backgrounds. Features of caregiver-child interactions have been proposed as mechanisms through which SES-related factors are associated with child outcomes. This retrospective study (N=95), explored whether rates of tactile interactions between neonates and family members (skin-to-skin caregiving) served as a mechanism, i.e., statistically mediated, SES-related developmental disparities in infants born preterm. Infants from lower-SES backgrounds experienced less skin-to-skin care and scored lower on developmental assessments than infants from higher-SES backgrounds. Infants who experienced more skin-to-skin care had better outcomes than infants who experienced less skin-to-skin care. Critically, the association between SES and outcomes was significantly reduced after controlling for skin-to-skin care rates. Thus, SES-related disparities are linked to caregiving experiences as early as the neonatal period. These findings make substantial contributions to developmental theory and offer concrete and scalable recommendations for intervention.