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Updated: Feb 6, 2026

Determining the Role of Maternally-Expressed Genes in Early Development with Maternal Crispants
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Determining the Role of Maternally-Expressed Genes in Early Development with Maternal Crispants

Published on: December 21, 2021

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MEDIATING ROLE OF MATERNAL SENSITIVITY: ENHANCING LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT IN AT-RISK FAMILIES

Alex Neuhauser1, Erich Ramseier2, Simone Schaub1

  • 1University of Applied Sciences of Special Needs Education Zurich.

Infant Mental Health Journal
|August 9, 2018
PubMed

Home-visiting programs have gained increasing importance in family-centered prevention and intervention. However, few studies have examined the mechanisms underlying early intervention treatment effects. The goal of this study is to analyze the mediating role of maternal sensitivity in enhancing language development with the home-visiting program Parents as Teachers (PAT). Data were collected and analyzed within the ongoing, long-term ZEPPELIN study, a randomized controlled trial with 251 participating at-risk families. Via longitudinal mediation analysis, we examined whether effects of the PAT on receptive and expressive language outcomes at 24 and 36 months were mediated by maternal sensitivity at 12 months. Within a moderated mediation framework, we investigated whether the level of family psychosocial stress affects this mediation. Results showed that intervention effects on language outcomes are mediated by maternal sensitivity-weakly and through specific pathways. Moderation and moderated mediation analyses indicated that effects of the PAT and also specific mediation effects increase with the level of psychosocial stress. Implications of the results for practice are discussed.

Keywords:
FrühinterventionRisikofamilienSprachentwicklungat-risk familiesdesarrollo del lenguajedéveloppement du langageearly interventionestrés sicosocialfamilias bajo riesgofamilles à risqueintervención tempranaintervention précocelanguage developmentmaternal sensitivitymütterliche Sensitivitätpsychosocial stresspsychosoziale Belastungsensibilidad maternasensibilité maternellestress psychosocialالحساسية الأمومية ، الأسر المعرضة للمخاطرة ، الإجهاد النفساني ، التدخل المبكر ، تطور اللغةリスクをもつ家族心理社会的ストレス早期介入早期干預母性的感受性母親敏感性社會心理壓力言語発達語言發展高危家庭

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