Maternal Stress, Home Chaos, and Infant Language Ability at 6 Months

• In Event: Poster Session 03
  In Poster Session: PS 03 Topic - Language, Communication

Abstract

Language development begins in infancy and relies on a variety of factors including caregiver responsiveness and consistency (Pace et al., 2017). A high-quality home language environment is characterized by consistent and timely caregiver responses to infant vocalizations, as these back-and-forth interactions are key to shaping future linguistic abilities (Romeo et al., 2018). In addition, distinct characteristics of the home environment, such as crowding, confusion, and disorganization, have been found to contribute to disparities in early language development (Melvin, 2016; Wachs & Chan, 1986). Household chaos has been shown to negatively impact early language learning, perhaps because infants in disorganized homes are unable to properly process linguistic input due to the distractions in their environment. For example, infants living in chaotic homes with high levels of adult word exposure exhibited lower EEG activity than peers exposed to fewer adult vocalizations (Brito et al., 2020). Household chaos has also been associated with less responsive parenting and higher levels of parental stress, (Corapci & Wachs, 2002). Furthermore, parents who experience significant stress due to socioeconomic instability, career expectations, or parenting responsibilities have been found to be less responsive to their infant’s vocal cues. This lack of responsiveness, coupled with a chaotic and disorganized home environment, may limit linguistic development in early childhood (Mckelvey, Fitzgerald, Schiffman, & Eye, 2002; Rowe, 2008). In this study, we investigated the associations between home chaos, maternal stress, and infant language ability at 6 months. Participants include 62 parent-infant dyads (parent age M = 31.7 years; infant age M = 6 months). The population was both racially and socioeconomically diverse (parental education M = 14.9 years; 57% Hispanic/Latino). Participants reported on their perceived stress by completing the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Researchers administered the Preschool Language Scale (PLS) to determine infant language ability, and the Confusion, Hubbub, and Order Scale (CHAOS) was used to calculate the degree of disorganization in the participant’s home environment. Participants were enrolled in a longitudinal study from their third trimester of pregnancy through age 3; all measures for the current analysis were taken at the 6-month study timepoint. Preliminary analyses showed that there were no significant associations between maternal stress and home chaos (B = -0.125, p > 0.05), or between maternal stress and infant language ability (B = -0.028, p > 0.05). Furthermore, there were no significant associations found between home chaos and infant language ability (B = 0.132, p > 0.05). These null results may be attributed to a variety of factors. For example, parental stress may not significantly change the way parents interact with their infants. It is also possible that differences in language development related to these factors emerge later in infancy, or that language development is impacted more strongly by linguistic factors than by parental stress and home disorganization. Finally, it is possible that associations exist that we did not have the statistical power to detect. Data collection is ongoing, and a larger sample size may increase power to detect hypothesized differences by the time of the conference.

Authors

• Isabel Josefina Kovacs, Teachers College, Columbia University
  Presenting Author

• Sonya V. Troller-Renfree, Teachers College, Columbia University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Kimberly G Noble, Teachers College, Columbia University
  Non-Presenting Author