Multiple factors including the child's non-linguistic characteristics and caregiving environment can affect language development. Since preterm birth (<37 weeks’ gestation) can negatively affect language development, this study used path analysis to investigate whether the influence of preterm birth on expressive language development at 3 and 5 years of age is mediated by a child's non-linguistic characteristics (temperament and cognitive, motor, and social-personal abilities), caregiving environment (maternal and paternal stress and depression, mother-child and father-child relationship quality), and interactions between these domains. These analyses were conducted using three waves of data (ages: 9 months, 3 years, 5 years) on 8,712 children (4,300 female; 535 preterm) from a nationally-representative longitudinal study in Ireland. Preterm birth was indirectly (but not directly) associated with expressive language at 3 years of age via cognitive and social-personal abilities (but not motor abilities, mother-child relationship quality, or father-child relationship quality) at 9 months. There was no direct or indirect effect of preterm birth on expressive language at 5 years of age. Preterm birth negatively affected mother-child and father-child relationship quality at 3 years via fussy-difficult temperament and mother's/father's stress (but not depression) at 9 months. These findings are discussed with reference to international standards for neonatal care, including the need for long-term developmental monitoring of children born preterm by multidisciplinary healthcare teams, alongside parental supports promoting mental health and confidence in caregiving tasks. Future study recommendations are made to expand the tested models in line with family systems perspectives.

包括儿童的非语言特征和护理环境在内的多种因素都会影响语言发展。由于早产（妊娠<37周）会对语言发展产生负面影响，本研究采用通径分析来调查早产对3岁和5岁表达性语言发展的影响是否是由儿童的非语言特征介导的。气质和认知、运动和社会个人能力）、照料环境（母亲和父亲的压力和抑郁、母子和父子关系质量）以及这些领域之间的相互作用。这些分析是使用来自爱尔兰全国代表性纵向研究的 8,712 名儿童（4,300 名女性；535 名早产儿）的三波数据（年龄：9 个月、3 岁、5 岁）进行的。早产通过 9 个月时的认知和社交个人能力（但不包括运动能力、母子关系质量或父子关系质量）与 3 岁时的表达语言间接（但不是直接）相关。早产对 5 岁时的语言表达没有直接或间接的影响。早产通过挑剔-困难的气质和 9 个月时母亲/父亲的压力（但不是抑郁）对 3 岁时的母子和父子关系质量产生负面影响。这些发现是参考新生儿护理的国际标准进行讨论的，包括需要由多学科医疗团队对早产儿进行长期发育监测，以及家长的支持，以促进心理健康和对护理任务的信心。