Mental Health News
Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences explored how maternal depression influences a child’s ability to speak. The study is published in the journal JAMA Network Open.
The Study
The research team surveyed 46 mothers (who reported different moods after giving birth) and their babies. It used a questionnaire to diagnose postnatal upset or baby blues. An electroencephalography (EEG) was also used to measure how well the babies could distinguish speech sounds from one another.
The Findings
The results revealed a link between the mother’s mood and the newborn language development. Persistent negative moods and depressive symptoms in mothers correlated with delayed language development in children.
One of the lead researchers, Gesa Schaadt, elaborated: “We suspect that the affected mothers use less infant-directed-speech. They probably use less pitch variation when directing speech to their infants. [This possibly delays the baby’s ability to speak].”
To Know More You May Refer To
Schaadt, G., Zsido, R. G., Villringer, A., Obrig, H., Männel, C., & Sacher, J. (2022). Association of Postpartum Maternal Mood With Infant Speech Perception at 2 and 6.5 Months of Age. JAMA network open, 5(9), e2232672. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.32672