2017/04/06 by Valentina Riva, Chiara Cantiani, Ginette Dionne +4
Medicine · #Infant Development and Preterm Care #Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum #Neonatal and fetal brain pathology
paper · doi:10.1037/neu0000376
openalex publication_date 2017/04/06 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
OBJECTIVE: This study tested the role of temporary memory, measured by phonological short-term memory (pSTM) and verbal working memory (vWM), as a mediator of the effect of 3 putative risk factors (i.e., socioeconomic status, home literacy environment, birth gestational age) upon expressive and receptive language. METHOD: A community-based sample of 646 Italian children aged 6-11 years was assessed with a comprehensive battery of language and cognitive tests. A mediation analysis was used to examine whether memory mediates environmental/biological effects on language. RESULTS: The results demonstrated a developmental cascade of effects, whereby the duration of pregnancy drives vWM functioning that, in turn, may affect expressive linguistic outcome Conclusion: Treatments focused on vWM, specifically to preterm children, may improve their language development, with enduring consequences on educational and psychosocial outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record