‘Interaction on peak, child can speak: The relationship between Parent-Child Interaction and Child’s Language Development with the moderating role of Perceived Stress and Working at Home or on Location.’

Abstract

It is known that the interaction between parent and child plays an important role in the early and later language development of young children and that the perceived stress of parents can influence both aspects negatively. To determine if perceived stress can influence this relationship, this research investigates the moderating role of perceived stress of parents in the relationship between parent-child interaction and the language development of young children, looking at the difference between parents that work mostly at home and parents that work mostly on location. In a correlational research design, 224 parents of Dutch babies born during the first lockdown of the Covid-19 pandemic in the Netherlands and aged between 20 and 25 months old, completed a survey about the different subjects. The results show that parent-child interaction is related to child’s language development of children under the age of two. No effect is found for the moderating role of perceived stress. In addition, no effect is found for working at home or on location. As a result, it can be concluded that there is a relationship between parent-child interaction and a child’s language development. In order to clarify and counteract the negative consequences, follow-up research is recommended.