Maternal Depression and Child-Directed Speech: Influences on Toddlers' Communication Abilities and Socio-Emotional Competence

• In Event: 47.034 - Parenting Influence on Child Development

Abstract

The current study examined the influence of maternal depressive symptoms in maternal child-directed speech during play, as well as in toddlers’ language and socioemotional abilities using mixed-method. The sample consisted of 108 mother-child dyads from an Early Head Start program in a Mid-Atlantic State. Mothers completed a depression scale and dyads were observed during a puzzle play task. Mothers’ depressive symptoms were associated with toddlers’ socioemotional abilities, however, different from previous research, depression was not related to quantity or quality of maternal child-directed speech in the context of play, nor was it directly related to children’s language. Depression moderated the relation between maternal communicative diversity and children’s expressive communication. Findings highlight the role of the interactional context and non-verbal factors.

Authors

• Juana Gaviria, Univeristy of Delaware

• Myae Han, University of Delaware

• Jason Hustedt, University of Delaware

• Rena Hallam, University of Delaware