Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 16, 2026
Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
Published on: August 25, 2014
Neonatal and parental predictors of executive function in very preterm children
Cornelieke Sandrine Hanan Aarnoudse-Moens1, Nynke Weisglas-Kuperus, Hugo Joseph Duivenvoorden
1Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Sophia Children's Hospital, Erasmus University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. c.aarnoudse-moens@amc.uva.nl
Insights
Early postnatal growth and parental education predict executive function in very preterm children. Neonatal complications did not show a significant association with executive function outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Neonatal Medicine
- Pediatric Neurology
Background:
- Very preterm birth (gestational age ≤30 weeks) is associated with potential long-term neurodevelopmental challenges.
- Executive function skills, crucial for academic and social success, may be impacted in this population.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify neonatal and parental factors that predict executive function in children born very preterm.
- To investigate associations between early growth, parental education, and specific executive function domains.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 200 very preterm children (mean age 8.2 years) without severe disabilities was assessed.
- Executive function was measured using tests of working memory, verbal fluency, planning, and inhibitory control.
- Multiple linear regression analyzed associations between neonatal data and parental education with executive function outcomes.
Main Results:
- Better early postnatal growth at 6 weeks predicted improved spatial span and planning abilities.
- Higher parental education was associated with better verbal fluency.
- Neither neonatal risk factors nor parental education predicted verbal working memory.
Conclusions:
- Early postnatal growth and parental education are significant predictors of executive function in very preterm children.
- Neonatal complications were not found to be associated with executive function in this cohort.
- These findings highlight the importance of early environment and socioeconomic factors in supporting cognitive development post-preterm birth.
Aim:
To examine neonatal and parental predictors of executive function in very preterm (gestational age ≤30 weeks) children aged 4.0-12.0 years.
Methods:
Two-hundred very preterm (mean age 8.2 ± 2.5 years) children without severe disabilities, born between 1996 and 2004, were assessed with measures of executive function including working memory, verbal fluency, planning and inhibitory control. Neonatal predictors were obtained from clinical records. Parental predictors included parental education, which was derived from questionnaires. Multiple linear regression analyses identified associations between neonatal and parental predictors and executive function in very preterm children.
Results:
Better postnatal growth at 6 weeks of corrected age-predicted better spatial span (R² = 0.03, β = 0.17, p = 0.02) and planning (R² = 0.03, β = 0.16, p = 0.04). A higher level of parental education predicted better verbal fluency (R² = 0.02, β = 0.12, p = 0.02). Verbal working memory was not predicted by neonatal risk factors or by parental education (β(s ) < 0.09, p(s ) > 0.20).
Conclusions:
Executive function in very preterm children is associated with early postnatal growth and level of parental education but not with neonatal complications.
Related Concept Videos
01:30Information Processing Approach
01:30Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Diagnostic Criteria and Symptoms
To diagnose ADHD, symptoms must manifest before age 12 and be evident across multiple settings.