Characteristics of infant-directed speech in caregivers with traumatic experiences

Abstract

Mothers with depressive symptoms interact differently with their children compared to mothers without depressive symptoms. Compared with non-depressed mothers, depressed mothers use a lower mean pitch and less extended pitch range, speak less, and respond slower to their infants. Are the characteristics of infant-directed speech (IDS) affected by a caregiver’s traumatic experiences? The study will examine characteristics of IDS in two groups of mothers (N=30); one group exposed to traumatic experiences and the other not exposed to traumatic experiences as assessed by the Adverse Childhood Experiences scale. The mean length of utterances (MLU, the number of morphemes per utterance), mean fundamental frequency (Hz), fundamental frequency range (Hz), speech rate (syllabus per utterance duration), and utterance duration (seconds) will be measured in maternal speech. Based on studies with depressed mothers, it is expected that mothers exposed to traumatic experiences will produce shorter MLU, lower fundamental frequency, less expanded fundamental frequency range, slower speech rate, and shorter utterance duration compared to mothers without traumatic experiences. The research will contribute to the development of early intervention strategies that will aim to strengthen language acquisition in children from families exposed to trauma.