Behavior in term, small for gestational age preschoolers.

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.