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Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
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Predictors of internalizing symptoms among very low birth weight young women

Maureen Hack1, Eric A Youngstrom, Lydia Cartar

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA. mxh7@cwru.edu

Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics : JDBP
|April 14, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Very low birth weight may predict internalizing symptoms in young women, particularly white individuals with maternal psychological distress. Childhood IQ and family expressiveness also played a role.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Perinatal Health
  • Mental Health Outcomes

Background:

  • Longitudinal studies track outcomes of very low birth weight (VLBW) children.
  • Internalizing symptoms can manifest in young adulthood.
  • Understanding predictors of psychopathology is crucial for early intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify perinatal, childhood, and young adult predictors of internalizing symptoms.
  • To compare VLBW young women with normal birth weight controls.
  • To explore factors influencing mental health trajectories from birth to adulthood.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal cohort study of VLBW and normal birth weight 20-year-olds.
  • Stepwise multivariate analyses to examine predictors.
  • Data collected on perinatal, childhood, and young adult factors.

Main Results:

  • VLBW was a predictor of parent-reported internalizing symptoms in white daughters of mothers with high psychological distress.
  • Childhood IQ, prior internalizing symptoms, and family expressiveness predicted young adult internalizing symptoms.
  • Asthma history and violence exposure predicted self-reported internalizing symptoms.

Conclusions:

  • VLBW's impact on internalizing symptoms is complex and influenced by maternal and familial factors.
  • Perinatal risk factors were not direct predictors of 20-year internalizing symptoms.
  • Further research into neonatal intensive care's social/environmental factors is needed to explain VLBW's psychopathology link.

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