Language as a Window to the Mind: Parental Mental State Language in Relation to Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children’s Social–Emotional Skills

TL;DR

This study explores how parents' use of mental state language affects the social and emotional development of deaf or hard-of-hearing children.

Contribution

The study examines both the quantity and quality of mental state talk across different interaction contexts with DHH children, filling a research gap.

Findings

Parents adjusted the complexity of mental state talk based on children's age, not their hearing status.

Mental state talk varied by activity, with distinct types of language used in storybook reading versus free play.

Parental and child mental state talk were associated, but not directly linked to children's task performance in emotion understanding.

Abstract

Early parent–child interactions are crucial for children’s social–emotional development. Mental state talk (MST)—language referring to thoughts, feelings, and intentions—is a key contributor. MST may be reduced in hearing parents of deaf or hard-of-hearing (DHH) children, who face unique communication challenges. Yet, existing research on MST in hearing parents of DHH children and on MST use by DHH children themselves is limited and fragmented, often focusing on MST quantity in a single context. Few studies have examined MST quality, variation across contexts, or its relationship with children’s social–emotional functioning. This study addresses these gaps by investigating MST quantity and quality across two activities and its associations with children’s MST and social–emotional development. Forty-eight hearing parent–DHH child dyads (ages 2–5) participated. MST was studied during storybook reading and free play. Children completed tasks on emotion understanding and theory of mind; parents reported on MS vocabulary and family characteristics. The results showed that parents adjusted MST complexity based on children’s age but not audiological characteristics. MST varied by activity, with different contexts eliciting distinct types of MST. Parental and child MST were associated, though not linked to children’s task performance. Findings highlight the importance of diverse interaction contexts and suggest a need for longitudinal research on MST’s developmental impact.