The First Year: Profiling the Home Environment of Infants from Low-Income Homes

The home environment is one of the most proximal and impactful settings for young children. Little research has examined the nature of variability in the home environment for children from low-income homes, even as more recent work suggests heterogeneity within economically disadvantaged households. Using a subsample from a larger, longitudinal study, we examined the extent to which differential profiles of the home environment of infants from low-income backgrounds could be identified. A latent profile analysis (LPA) suggested three profiles of the home environment: low home environment, average home environment, and high involvement. These three groups did not differ on family characteristics such as parental education, income, or marital status but did differ with respect to maternal stress and material support. Specifically, maternal stress and material support were lower in the group with high involvement.