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The impact of preterm birth on participation in childhood occupation

Hazel Killeen1, Agnes Shiel, Mary Law

  • 1Discipline of Occupational Therapy, School of Health Sciences, College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, National University of Ireland, Galway, Newcastle road, Galway, Ireland, hazel.killeen@nuigalway.ie.

European Journal of Pediatrics
|August 15, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Very preterm birth alone impacts children's adaptive behavior and daily childhood activities. This study highlights the need to investigate the effects of preterm birth on childhood occupations.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Pediatrics
  • Child Psychology
  • Occupational Therapy

Background:

  • Previous studies on premature infants primarily focused on neurodevelopmental impairments.
  • The impact of these deficits on a child's daily life and participation in activities has been less explored.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine if very preterm birth alone affects a child's ability to participate in and perform everyday childhood activities.
  • To assess adaptive behavior in children born very preterm compared to term-born peers.

Main Methods:

  • Compared 44 very preterm infants (average gestation 29 weeks) with 51 age-matched term-born infants.
  • Assessed functional skills using the Adaptive Behavior Assessment Scale-II and Assessment of Preschool Children's Participation.
  • Participants were between 6 months and 5 years 6 months, with no physical or intellectual disabilities.

Main Results:

  • Very preterm infants scored significantly lower in overall adaptive behavior than term infants, irrespective of chronological or corrected age.
  • Lower mean scores were observed in conceptual, social, and practical skills for the preterm group.
  • No significant differences were found in the intensity or diversity of participation between the groups.

Conclusions:

  • Preterm birth has a measurable negative effect on adaptive behavior and childhood occupations.
  • Further research is warranted to understand and address the long-term functional impacts of preterm birth on children's daily lives.
Abstract

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