A team of researchers from the WZB Berlin Social Science Centre carried out a literature review of 23 studies published between 1980 and 2012 that investigated associations between parents’ ‘non-standard (NS) work schedules’ and four child developmental outcomes: internalising and externalising problems, cognitive development and body mass index.
Of the 23 studies, 21 reported negative associations between parent’s NS work schedules and at least one child developmental outcome.
Two and three year olds were most likely to be affected by their parents working night shifts or weekends.
Two studies found that children whose parents worked evening or night shifts were more likely to have behavourial problems, such as excessive fussiness and distractibility, as well as internalising and externalising behaviours.
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