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[Premature birth and cognitive functioning in adolescence]
O Lubetzky1, A Weitzman, I Gilat
1Levinsky College of Education and Geha Hospital, Tel Aviv.
Insights
Adolescents born prematurely show lower cognitive performance compared to their full-term peers. These findings highlight potential long-term cognitive challenges for premature infants.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Premature infants are a high-risk group for cognitive dysfunction.
- Previous studies show lower cognitive performance in prematurely born elementary students.
- Adolescence is a critical developmental period for cognitive assessment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate cognitive functioning in adolescents born prematurely.
- To compare cognitive performance between prematurely born and full-term adolescents.
- To understand the developmental implications of premature birth on adolescent cognition.
Main Methods:
- Compared 50 prematurely born adolescents (14-16 years) with 50 full-term matched controls.
- Utilized the Bender-Visual Motor Gestalt Test for assessment.
- Employed 3 subtests from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (revised WISC-R).
Main Results:
- Prematurely born adolescents scored significantly lower on all cognitive measures.
- The differences in cognitive performance were observed across all tested domains.
- This suggests persistent cognitive deficits into adolescence.
Conclusions:
- Premature birth is associated with lasting cognitive impairments into adolescence.
- Findings underscore the need for targeted interventions and support for prematurely born individuals.
- Further research into therapeutic strategies for this population is warranted.
Abstract:
Premature infants are considered a high-risk population for developing cognitive dysfunction. Studies have indicated lower cognitive performance among elementary school children born prematurely. We focused on cognitive functioning of such adolescents. This age was chosen because of its critical importance in the development of the individual. 50 adolescents aged 14-16 years born prematurely were compared with 50 born at full-term and matched for gender, age and socioeconomic status. All subjects attended regular schools and did not suffer severe neurological disorders. Cognitive functioning was measured by the Bender-Visual Motor Gestalt Test and by 3 subtests from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (revised WISC-R test). Results revealed that prematurely born adolescents scored lower than those born at term on all measures of cognitive performance. The results are discussed in terms of their developmental meaning and of therapy for the prematurely born.