Maternal IQ, the Home Environment, and Child IQ in Low Birthweight, Premature Children

Abstract

The study examined the extent to which aspects of the home environment play a mediating role in the relation between maternal and child IQ. The procedure of establishing mediation developed by Baron and Kenny was followed using 608 low birthweight, premature infants from eight different sites. Regression analyses indicated that both maternal IQ and Infant/ Toddler HOME scores obtained at 12 months made significant contributions to 3 year child IQ scores. Maternal IQ and Early Childhood HOME scores obtained at 36 months also both made significant contributions to 3 year child IQ scores. There was a significant "indirect" or mediated affect associated with HOME scores at both time points. Structural equation models were used to confirm information developed in the regression analyses. The fit of the model was good for the total sample and for a sample of children and mothers whose IQs were both greater than 70. A stronger indirect effect was noted at three years as compared to one year.

Desenvolvimento cognitivo e linguagem em prematuros

“…Studies that compare children born as preterm infants with very low weight with children born as full-term infants with weight equal to or higher than 2,500 g indicate that those in the first group are more prone to cognitive deficiencies (4,5) , school performance problems (6) , behavioral difficulties (7) , and language problems (8) .…”

Effects of Environmental Measures on Intelligence in Young Children: Growth Curve Modeling of Longitudinal Data

“…ence the intellectual level of the home environment than by biomedical risk factors or infant developmental indices. In studies of normal and "atrisk" children (including preterm, low birthweight, and low socioeconomic status [SES]), strong correlations between markers for home environment quality (SES, maternal intelligence, characteristics of the home, and parenting practices) and performance on intelligence tests in infancy and early childhood are reported (e.g., Bradley, 1993;Bradley et al, 1993;Gottfried, 1984;Molfese, DiLalla, & Bunce, 1997;Molfese, DiLalla, & Lovelace, 1995;Schiamberg & Lee, 1991). The consistency in findings is remarkable in part because of the variety of measures used across studies to index home environment, including both molecular and molar measures (Bronfenbrenner, 1986).…”

Environmental and social influences on reading skills as indexed by brain and behavioral responses

“…Performance on cognitive tests in childhood is typically well predicted by measures of the home environment and by variables that influence the intellectual level of the home environment. Indeed, markers for home environment quality (SES, maternal intelligence, characteristics of the home, and parenting practices) and performance on intelligence tests in infancy and early childhood are more strongly correlated than are measures of biomedical risks, which is another variable often linked with the development of cognitive abilities in young children (e.g., Bradley, 1993;Bradley et al, 1993;Gottfried, 1984; V. Molfese, DiLalla, & Bunce, 1997; V. Molfese, DiLalla, & Lovelace, 1995;Schaimberg & Lee, 1991). The consistency in findings across these studies is remarkable because a variety of measures have been used across studies to index home environment.…”

“…For example, in studies of normal and at-risk children, researchers report strong correlations between markers for home environment quality (e.g., activities in the home involving the child, books and toys for learning, types of the parent-child interactions) and performance on various cognitive tests in infancy and childhood (e.g., Aylward, 1997;Bee et al, 1982;Bradley et al, 1993;Longstreth et al, 1981;V. Molfese, DiLalla, & Bunce, 1997;Sameroff, Seifer, Barocas, Zax, & Greenspan, 1987;Wallace, Escalona, McCarton-Daum, & Vaughan, 1982;Yeates, MacPhee, Campbell, & Ramey, 1983).…”