The Synergistic Effects of Preterm Birth and Parent Gender on the Linguistic and Interactive Features of Parent--Infant Conversations.

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Title:	The Synergistic Effects of Preterm Birth and Parent Gender on the Linguistic and Interactive Features of Parent--Infant Conversations.
Authors:	Coughlan, Sarah¹ coughlsa@tcd.ie, Quigley, Jean¹, Nixon, Elizabeth¹
Source:	Journal of Speech, Language & Hearing Research. Mar2024, Vol. 67 Issue 3, p886-899. 14p.
Subject Terms:	Conversation, Phonological awareness, Emotions, Experience, Comparative studies, Language acquisition, Cognition, Children, Infant development, T-test (Statistics), Premature infants, Father-infant relationship, Questionnaires, Executive function, Mann Whitney U Test, Analysis of covariance, Quantitative research, Mother-infant relationship, Linguistics, Sound recordings, Physiological aspects of speech, Parent-infant relationships
Abstract:	Purpose: To investigate the language environments experienced by pretermborn infants, this study compared the linguistic and interactive features of parent--infant conversations involving 2-year-old preterm- and term-born infants. The study also explored how mother--infant and father--infant conversations may be differentially affected by preterm/term birth status. Method: Twenty-two preterm-born (< 37 weeks' gestation) and 25 term-born (≥ 37 weeks' gestation) 2-year-old infants engaged in dyadic mother/father--infant free-play interactions that were transcribed to quantify the linguistic (parental volubility, speech rate, lexical diversity, and morphosyntactic complexity) and interactive (infant/parent responsiveness, turn-taking, and conversational balance) features of parent--infant conversations. Language, cognitive, socioemotional, and executive function skills were assessed via standardized tools. Results: Compared to the term group, the preterm group was characterized by lower maternal speech rate, parental lexical diversity, and parent--infant turntaking, as well as greater mother--infant conversational balance. The preterm group presented poorer language and executive function skills when compared to the term group. Conclusions: Both similarities and differences exist between the language environments of preterm and term groups. Similarities may be due to the partial developmental catch-up of preterm-born infants (cognitive and socioemotional skills) and parental scaffolding. Differences may partly reflect a parental adaptation to the language and executive function difficulties of preterm-born infants. These findings suggest that researchers/clinicians should appraise the language environment with respect to the unique developmental needs of preterm/term-born infants. Future research directions are provided to advance a more holistic characterization of the language environment and a deeper understanding of the developmental significance of preterm--term differences in such environments. Supplemental Material: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.25021931 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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Database:	Education Research Complete

Description
Abstract:	Purpose: To investigate the language environments experienced by pretermborn infants, this study compared the linguistic and interactive features of parent--infant conversations involving 2-year-old preterm- and term-born infants. The study also explored how mother--infant and father--infant conversations may be differentially affected by preterm/term birth status. Method: Twenty-two preterm-born (< 37 weeks' gestation) and 25 term-born (≥ 37 weeks' gestation) 2-year-old infants engaged in dyadic mother/father--infant free-play interactions that were transcribed to quantify the linguistic (parental volubility, speech rate, lexical diversity, and morphosyntactic complexity) and interactive (infant/parent responsiveness, turn-taking, and conversational balance) features of parent--infant conversations. Language, cognitive, socioemotional, and executive function skills were assessed via standardized tools. Results: Compared to the term group, the preterm group was characterized by lower maternal speech rate, parental lexical diversity, and parent--infant turntaking, as well as greater mother--infant conversational balance. The preterm group presented poorer language and executive function skills when compared to the term group. Conclusions: Both similarities and differences exist between the language environments of preterm and term groups. Similarities may be due to the partial developmental catch-up of preterm-born infants (cognitive and socioemotional skills) and parental scaffolding. Differences may partly reflect a parental adaptation to the language and executive function difficulties of preterm-born infants. These findings suggest that researchers/clinicians should appraise the language environment with respect to the unique developmental needs of preterm/term-born infants. Future research directions are provided to advance a more holistic characterization of the language environment and a deeper understanding of the developmental significance of preterm--term differences in such environments. Supplemental Material: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.25021931 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:	10924388
DOI:	10.1044/2023_JSLHR-23-00389