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Behavior in term, small for gestational age preschoolers

K Sommerfelt1, H W Andersson, K Sonnander

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, University of Bergen, Barneklinikken, 5021 Haukeland Sykehus, Bergen, Norway.

Early Human Development
|October 20, 2001
PubMed

Insights

Being born small for gestational age (SGA) does not increase the risk of preschool behavioral problems. This finding held true even when considering various parental and child-rearing factors.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Pediatrics
  • Child Psychology
  • Perinatal Medicine

Background:

  • Infants born small for gestational age (SGA) may face various developmental challenges.
  • Previous research has explored potential links between SGA status and later behavioral issues.
  • Understanding risk factors for preschool behavioral problems is crucial for early intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between being born small for gestational age (SGA) and the frequency of behavioral problems in preschool-aged children.
  • To determine if SGA is an independent risk factor for behavioral difficulties, controlling for confounding variables.

Main Methods:

  • A population-based cohort study followed 318 term infants born SGA and 307 appropriate for gestational age (AGA) infants until 5 years of age.
  • Behavioral outcomes were assessed using the Personality Inventory for Children and the Yale Children's Inventory, completed by mothers.
  • Child behavior during psychometric testing was also observed.

Main Results:

  • No increased frequency of behavioral problems was observed in children born SGA compared to AGA controls.
  • These findings were consistent after adjusting for parental demographic, child-rearing style, and maternal psychological distress.
  • Parental factors accounted for a larger proportion of variance in child behavior than SGA status.

Conclusions:

  • Being born moderately small for gestational age (SGA) is not a significant risk factor for preschool behavioral problems.
  • The study suggests that other factors, particularly parental influences, play a more substantial role in preschool behavior.
  • Severely growth-retarded SGA infants were not included in this analysis.
Abstract

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