Linking COVID-19 Stressors to Early Communication Skills in Pandemic-Born Children

Evidence of disturbances in communication skills among children born during the pandemic remains limited to outcomes within the first year of life and rarely accounts for key predictors. This study investigated the longitudinal association between COVID-19 stressors and communication skills during the first 1000 days of life, and examined whether parental depressive symptoms, behaviors, and cognitions mediated this association. 2664 French-speaking children (48.2% boys) born in Québec (Canada) between October 2020 and September 2021, were included in this observational prospective cohort study. Child communication skills were measured at 29 months using the Ages & Stages Questionnaires. COVID stressors (financial insecurity, social isolation, overall stress) were reported by both mothers and fathers at 5 months postpartum. Depressive symptoms were measured at 5 months postpartum using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale Revised (CESD-10). Parenting behaviors and cognitions (self-efficacy, perceived parental impact on the child, hostile-reactive behaviors, overprotection) were reported at 17 months postpartum using the Parental Cognitions and Conduct Toward the Infant Scale. COVID stressors were associated with increased parental depressive symptoms. Depressive symptoms significantly predicted maternal and paternal lack of perceived impact on child development and paternal overprotection, which, in turn, was negatively associated with child communication skills. Findings indicate significant indirect associations between COVID-19 stressors and child communication skills. This study suggests potential clinical implications by highlighting modifiable parental cognitions and behaviors as possible targets for intervention.