Predictors of Change in Mother-Child Language Style Matching in the Context of Intimate Partner Violence

Abstract: Intimate partner violence (IPV) can negatively influence the mother-child relationship, including frequent mismatched behavioral attunement. Language style matching (LSM) is a component of behavioral matching that measures the similarity between how individuals use various common function words. Research examining mother-child LSM is limited, and no research has examined whether exposure to IPV impacts dyadic changes in LSM over time. Using a community sample of 182 women recruited for a larger longitudinal study, we evaluated changes in LSM during a standardized mother-child interaction from age 4 to 7. We found that mothers’ reports of IPV in the household when children were 5–7 years of age predicted increases in mother-child LSM over time, but early IPV (ages 0 to 4) did not predict change in LSM. As children age and develop more sophisticated regulatory skills, they may attempt to attune more closely to their mothers as a result of recent IPV exposure.