Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 21, 2026

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

Early emergence of behavior and social-emotional problems in very preterm infants

Alicia J Spittle1, Karli Treyvaud1, Lex W Doyle1

  • 1All of the authors are part of the Victorian Infant Brain Studies (VIBeS) team, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute. Drs. Spittle, Doyle, Lee, Cheong, Hunt, and Anderson are with the University of Melbourne. Dr. Inder is with Washington University.

Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
|July 28, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Very preterm children show more social-emotional and behavioral issues, including internalizing and dysregulation problems, by age two. This early identification helps pinpoint those most at risk for developmental challenges.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal research
  • Developmental pediatrics
  • Child psychology

Background:

  • Children born very preterm often face social, emotional, and behavioral challenges.
  • Early identification of these issues is crucial for timely intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare social-emotional difficulties and competencies in very preterm and full-term children at 2 years' corrected age.
  • To examine the relationship between perinatal factors and early behavioral problems in very preterm infants.

Main Methods:

  • Infant Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment administered to parents of 188 very preterm and 70 full-term children at 2 years' corrected age.
  • Collection of perinatal data including gestational age, birth weight, and neonatal brain imaging (white matter abnormalities).

Main Results:

  • Very preterm children had significantly higher internalizing and dysregulation scores and lower competence scores compared to full-term peers.
  • No significant difference in externalizing scores was observed between the groups.
  • Lower competence was associated with female sex, lower birth weight z-score, white matter abnormalities, and postnatal corticosteroid use in the very preterm group.

Conclusions:

  • Very preterm infants demonstrate increased behavioral problems, specifically internalizing and dysregulation issues, and reduced social-emotional competence at an early age.
  • Perinatal factors significantly influence early social-emotional development in very preterm children.
Abstract

More Related Videos

A Within-subjects Experimental Protocol to Assess the Effects of Social Input on Infant EEG08:20

A Within-subjects Experimental Protocol to Assess the Effects of Social Input on Infant EEG

Published on: May 3, 2017

Modeling Encephalopathy of Prematurity Using Prenatal Hypoxia-ischemia with Intra-amniotic Lipopolysaccharide in Rats07:36

Modeling Encephalopathy of Prematurity Using Prenatal Hypoxia-ischemia with Intra-amniotic Lipopolysaccharide in Rats

Published on: November 20, 2015

Related Concept Videos

Socioemotional Development during Infancy01:30

Socioemotional Development during Infancy

Socio-emotional development in infancy is primarily shaped by early emotional responses and social connections, with temperament playing a central role. Temperament refers to the consistent patterns in an individual's emotional and behavioral responses, observable even in infancy. By examining temperament, researchers can better understand an infant's unique ways of interacting with the world, influencing subsequent personality and socio-emotional growth.
Primary Temperament Types
Stella Chess...
Autism Spectrum Disorder01:19

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition marked by persistent deficits in social communication and interaction alongside restrictive and repetitive behaviors or interests. ASD is sometimes accompanied by intellectual impairment.
These core symptoms manifest differently among individuals, ranging from mild to severe. The disorder's complexity extends beyond its clinical presentation, encompassing a diverse range of biological, cognitive, and sociocultural influences.
Relationship with Parents: Attachment01:28

Relationship with Parents: Attachment

Parent-child interactions lay the foundation for how we understand relationships throughout life. These interactions are not uniform across families; instead, they are shaped by a range of environmental, emotional, and behavioral factors unique to each caregiver-child dynamic. Social psychologists study these early relationships to understand how patterns formed in infancy influence social functioning and interpersonal behavior in adulthood.Attachment Theory and Early Relational ModelsJohn...
Piaget's Stage 1 of Cognitive Development01:14

Piaget's Stage 1 of Cognitive Development

The sensorimotor stage, the initial phase of Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development, spans the first two years of a child's life. During this period, infants actively engage with their surroundings, building cognitive awareness through direct interaction with the world. This interaction is primarily based on sensory perception and motor actions, allowing infants to gradually understand basic physical properties and predict how objects interact within their environment.
Exploration...
The Nativist Approach01:21

The Nativist Approach

The nativist approach to infant cognitive development proposes that infants are born with inherent knowledge structures that allow them to interpret the world almost immediately. This perspective contrasts with earlier developmental theories, such as those proposed by Jean Piaget, which emphasized a more gradual acquisition of cognitive abilities through interaction with the environment. One key concept in this approach is object permanence — the understanding that objects continue to exist...
Attachment01:20

Attachment

Attachment is vital for infant development, as warm social interactions support growth and well-being. In a classic 1958 study by Harry Harlow, the significance of warmth and comfort in forming attachments was examined. Harlow separated newborn monkeys from their mothers and provided two artificial "mothers": one made of cold wire and the other covered in soft cloth. Despite the wire mother offering food, the infant monkeys preferred the comfort of the cloth mother, demonstrating that physical...