Effect of Infant Iron Deficiency on Children’s Verbal Abilities: The Roles of Child Affect and Parent Unresponsiveness

Abstract

Background: Infants who are iron-deficient anemic seek and receive less stimulation from their caregivers, predisposing such children to be functionally isolated. Objectives: To test the sequence whereby iron deficiency in infancy contributes to children’s disengagement from the environment, which reduces parent stimulation which, in turn, contributes to children’s poor verbal skills. Methods: Chilean children (N = 875, 54% male) were studied, 45% of whom were iron deficient or iron-deficient anemic in infancy. We used structural equation modeling to test the sequence outlined above and to examine the effect of infant iron status on children’s verbal performance at ages 5 and 10 years including the roles of child and parent intermediate variables. Results: Severity of iron deficiency in infancy was associated with higher levels of children’s dull affect and social reticence at 5 years (β =.10, B =.26, SE =.12, p <.05), and these behaviors were associated with parent unresponsiveness (β =.29, B =.13, SE =.03, p <.001), which related to children’s lower verbal abilities at age 5 (β = − .29, B = − 2.33, SE =.47, p <.001) and age 10 (β = − .22, B = − 3.04, SE =.75, p <.001). An alternate model where poor iron status related directly to children’s verbal ability was tested but not supported. Conclusions: Findings support functional isolation processes resulting from a nutritional deficiency, with iron-deficient anemic infants showing affective and behavioral tendencies that limit developmentally stimulating caregiving which, in turn, hinder children’s verbal abilities.