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Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
Published on: August 25, 2014
Parenting behavior at 2 years predicts school-age performance at 7 years in very preterm children
Karli Treyvaud1,2, Lex W Doyle1,2,3, Katherine J Lee1,2
1Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Melbourne, Vic., Australia.
Insights
Early parenting significantly impacts school-age outcomes for very preterm (VPT) children, especially those with lower medical risk. Parenting strategies are crucial for NICU and early intervention programs for VPT infants.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Neonatal Medicine
- Pediatric Neurodevelopment
Background:
- Parenting influences child development, but its long-term effects on very preterm (VPT) children are not fully understood.
- Investigating whether early parenting behavior impacts school-age outcomes in VPT children is crucial.
- Examining if specific groups of VPT children are more susceptible to parenting influences is essential.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the influence of early parenting behavior on school-age outcomes in very preterm (VPT) children.
- To identify if certain subgroups of VPT children are more affected by early parenting.
- To explore the relationship between parent-child interaction and neurodevelopmental outcomes in VPT children.
Main Methods:
- 147 VPT children (born <30 weeks gestation or birth weight <1250g) and their primary caregiver participated.
- Brain abnormality assessed via MRI at term corrected age (CA); medical risk defined by specific conditions.
- Parent-child interaction assessed at 2 years CA; general intelligence, language, executive function, academic, and social-emotional skills assessed at 7 years CA.
Main Results:
- Positive parenting (synchrony, facilitation, sensitivity, positive affect) at 2 years predicted better 7-year outcomes.
- Negative parenting (intrusiveness, negative affect) predicted poorer 7-year outcomes, even after controlling for early cognition.
- Interactions between child medical risk and parenting affected reading, math, and executive function, with stronger effects in lower-risk children.
Conclusions:
- Early parenting significantly contributes to VPT children's school-age performance, particularly for those with lower medical risk.
- Findings support integrating parenting strategies into Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and early intervention programs for VPT infants.
- Targeted parenting interventions may enhance long-term outcomes for vulnerable very preterm populations.
Background:
Parenting influences child development, but it is unclear whether early parenting behavior can influence school-age outcomes in very preterm (VPT) children, and/or if certain groups of VPT children may be more affected by early parenting behavior. These research questions were examined.
Methods:
Participants were 147 children born <30 weeks' gestation or birth weight <1250 g and their primary caregiver. At term corrected age (CA), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to determine presence and severity of brain abnormality and medical data collected. High medical risk was defined as the presence of at least one of sepsis, necrotizing enterocolitis, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, moderate to severe white matter abnormality on MRI, or postnatal corticosteroids. At 2 years CA, parent-child interaction was assessed, and at 7 years CA, general intelligence (IQ), language, executive function, academic skills, and social-emotional functioning were assessed.
Results:
Higher levels of parent-child synchrony, and parent facilitation, sensitivity and positive affect at 2 years were associated with better child outcomes at 7 years, while higher levels of intrusiveness and negative affect were associated with poorer outcomes. Many of these relationships remained after controlling for early child cognitive development. Interactions between child medical risk (higher/lower) and parenting were limited to child reading, math, and executive functioning outcomes, with stronger relationships for lower medical risk children.
Conclusions:
The contribution of early parenting to VPT children's school-age performance is significant, with stronger effects for lower medical risk children in some outcomes. These findings support the premise that parenting strategies should be included in the NICU and early interventions programs for VPT infants.
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