Timing of maternal vocal responses linked to childhood ADHD in preliminary study
A new study suggests that mothers who are less likely to respond to their infants within one second have a higher chance of their children developing ADHD or disruptive behavior disorders by age seven.
A preliminary study published in PLOS One suggests that the timing of maternal vocal responses during early infant interactions may be linked to childhood psychiatric diagnoses, particularly ADHD and other disruptive behavior disorders. Researchers from the University of Glasgow examined 158 mother-infant pairs from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children in England.
By analyzing the timing of vocalizations, they found that mothers who were more likely to respond within one second had children with a 17% lower odds of developing any psychiatric disorder by age seven. This timing effect was more pronounced in cases of disruptive behavior disorders and ADHD, but not in autism or emotional disorders.
The study's authors conclude that analyzing caregiver-infant vocalizations could have clinical value in predicting later childhood psychiatric diagnoses, although the researchers note that the study is preliminary and has limitations such as small diagnostic groups and limited sound quality in old recordings.
Written by urgent.news from PsyPost's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
