Collaborative ECHO research led by Santiago Morales, PhD of the University of Southern California investigates the relationship between maternal education and children’s neurocognitive development over time. This research, titled “Maternal Education Prospectively Predicts Child Neurocognitive Function: An ECHO Study,” is published in Developmental Psychology.
ECHO researchers wanted to examine the relationship between changes in a mother’s education over time and their children’s later neurocognitive functioning, such as executive function and language skills. Studies to date have focused on early childhood outcomes and have treated a mother’s education as unchanging over time.
This study included 2,688 children, adolescents, and young adults from 3 to 20 years of age at ECHO research sites in 42 states across the U.S.
Mothers reported their own education levels during pregnancy and their child’s infancy, and again, years later when their children’s neurocognitive functions were also assessed. For both periods, the study categorized the mother’s education level into one of five groups—less than high school; high school or GED equivalent degree; some college, associate degree or trade school; bachelor’s degree; and graduate degree. The same categories were used to measure maternal education during childhood. Maternal education and income are two commonly used indicators of socioeconomic status. However, missing income data in this study prevented investigators from fully assessing the impact of socioeconomic status and income on neurocognitive skills.
Researchers also measured child participants’ cognitive abilities during childhood, adolescence, or young adulthood using the NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery. These tests assess aspects of cognition including language, memory, and problem solving. Test results created scores that reflected language skills, executive function, and overall brain function. The analysis included child participants who contributed at least one score.
This study found that a mother’s education level during pregnancy and infancy was associated with children’s language and executive function. Increases in maternal education were related to improved language performance but were not associated with executive functioning performance.
“These results suggest that further examining these associations can provide important insights that can help inform policies and interventions designed to foster neurocognitive development,” said Dr. Morales.
Future research can explore the factors involved in the suggested association between maternal education and a child’s neurocognitive development.
Read the research summary.