Psychopathology and social competencies of adolescents who were extremely low birth weight

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Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
19:15

Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale

Published on: August 25, 2014

Saroj Saigal1, Janet Pinelli, Lorraine Hoult

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. saigal@mcmaster.ca

Pediatrics
|May 3, 2003
PubMed

Insights

Extremely low birth weight (ELBW) adolescents show higher rates of depression and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) compared to controls, but only when parents report these issues. Teen self-reports did not reveal significant differences.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Pediatric Psychiatry
  • Neonatal Follow-up Studies

Background:

  • Extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants are known to be vulnerable to inattention and hyperactivity during school age.
  • The persistence of these behavioral issues into adolescence for ELBW individuals remains largely unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare psychopathology levels in adolescents born extremely low birth weight (ELBW) versus sociodemographically matched term-born controls.
  • To assess discrepancies between adolescent self-reports and parental reports of behavioral and emotional difficulties.

Main Methods:

  • A cross-sectional cohort study was conducted in a geographically defined region.
  • Participants included 141 extremely low birth weight (ELBW) adolescents and 122 term-born controls, aged 12-16 years, along with their parents.
  • The Ontario Child Health Study-Revised questionnaire assessed conduct disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), overanxious disorder, separation anxiety, and depression.

Main Results:

  • Adolescent self-reports showed no significant differences in psychopathology scores between extremely low birth weight (ELBW) and control groups.
  • Parents of extremely low birth weight (ELBW) adolescents reported significantly higher scores for depression and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) compared to parents of controls.
  • Parental reports explained a greater variance in behavioral scores (12.5%-22.0%) than adolescent self-reports (3.4%-8.2%).

Conclusions:

  • Parental reports reveal elevated risks for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and depression in extremely low birth weight (ELBW) adolescents.
  • Discrepancies between adolescent and parent reports highlight the importance of multiple informants in assessing adolescent psychopathology.
  • Family function, developmental quotient, maternal mood, and socioeconomic status were significant predictors of behavioral scores in parental reports.
Abstract

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