Modeling the mechanisms through which conditions of poverty are associated with late language emergence in young children

Children growing up in households that undergo economic hardship experience relatively higher rates of language delay and disorder compared to those growing up in homes with more socioeconomic means. The Family Stress Model provides a conceptual model for understanding how experiencing poverty may influence late language emergence (LLE; aka late talking) in young children at age two years. Using a five-dimensional model, we explore the hypothesis that economic hardship and pressure influence parental psychological distress and relationship conflict, in turn leading to disrupted parenting, which may contribute to LLE in young children. We use 14 key indicators to model these five dimensions of the Family Stress Model in our analytical sample of 246 mothers and their two-year-old children experiencing low income. Results provide support for the Family Stress Model as applicable to understanding the contribution of experiencing poverty to LLE, such that the z-score of the likelihood of a child being identified as a late talker was expected to increase by 0.22 with a one standard deviation increase in disrupted parenting. Our analyses suggest a mechanism through which experiences with poverty may disrupt early language development, although further exploration of the impacts of family dynamics within this crucial developmental period is warranted.