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Crying and feeding problems in infancy and cognitive outcome in preschool children born at risk: a prospective

Dieter Wolke1, Gabriele Schmid, Andrea Schreier

  • 1Department of Psychology and Health Sciences Research Institute, The University of Warwick, Warwick Medical School, Coventry CV4 7AL, United Kingdom. D.Wolke@warwick.ac.uk

Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics : JDBP
|May 13, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Infant regulatory problems like excessive crying and feeding issues can negatively impact cognitive development in preschool children. These early challenges predict later cognitive outcomes, especially in girls.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Pediatrics
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Infant regulatory problems, including excessive crying and feeding difficulties, are common concerns for parents.
  • Understanding the long-term impact of these early challenges on child development is crucial for timely interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine if infant regulatory problems predict cognitive outcomes in at-risk preschool children.
  • To investigate the influence of these problems while controlling for confounding factors like neonatal complications and psychosocial elements.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective longitudinal study of 4427 children in Germany, assessed at neonatal, 5, 20, and 56 months.
  • Regulatory problems assessed at 5 months; mental and cognitive development measured at 20 and 56 months, respectively.
  • Structural equation modeling and ANOVA used to control for confounding variables.

Main Results:

  • 22% of infants experienced crying or feeding problems at 5 months.
  • Regulatory problems directly predicted lower cognition in girls at 56 months.
  • In boys, the effect was mediated by delayed mental development at 20 months; shortened gestation, neonatal complications, and poor parent-infant relationships predicted regulatory problems and lower cognition.

Conclusions:

  • Infant crying and feeding problems have a small but significant adverse effect on cognitive development.
  • Early regulatory issues in infancy can have lasting implications for cognitive function.
Abstract

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