Effect of maternal depression on infant-directed speech to prelinguistic infants: Implications for language development.

ABSTRACT: The nature and timing of caregivers' speech provides an important foundation for infant attention and language development in the first year of life. Infant-directed speech is a key component of responsive parent-infant communication that is typically characterised by exaggerated intonation and positive affect. This study examines the effect of postnatal depression on the expression of positive vocal affect and pitch, the quantity of mothers' infant-directed speech input and the timing of vocal responses between mother and infant. Postnatal mothers currently experiencing symptoms of depression (n = 13) were matched to postnatal mothers who were not experiencing symptoms of depression (n = 13), and audio-recorded while playing with their 6-month-old infants. Compared with depressed mothers,

SUBMITTER: Lam-Cassettari C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7392317 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature