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Association between Primary Caregiver Education and Cognitive and Language Development of Preterm Neonates

Elizabeth V Asztalos1, Paige T Church1, Patricia Riley2

  • 1Department of Newborn and Developmental Paediatrics, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

American Journal of Perinatology
|August 30, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Higher primary caregiver education is linked to better cognitive and language development in preterm infants. This study found improved Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development scores with increased parental education levels.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Pediatrics
  • Neonatology
  • Educational Psychology

Background:

  • Preterm infants face developmental challenges.
  • Early cognitive and language development are crucial.
  • The role of socioeconomic factors, like caregiver education, is under-explored in this population.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between primary caregiver education and developmental outcomes in preterm infants.
  • To analyze cognitive and language scores using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, 3rd ed. (Bayley-III).
  • To assess these outcomes at 18 to 21 months corrected age.

Main Methods:

  • Observational study of preterm infants (born <29 weeks gestation).
  • Caregiver education levels categorized.
  • Bayley-III cognitive and language scores compared across education groups.
  • Adjustments made for perinatal and neonatal factors.

Main Results:

  • 1,525 infants/caregivers included in multivariate analysis.
  • Higher caregiver education (partial college/university graduate) correlated with significantly higher cognitive and language scores.
  • Adjusted differences in scores ranged from 4.0 to 9.9 for language and 4.6 to 6.4 for cognitive scores.

Conclusions:

  • Primary caregiver education level is positively associated with cognitive and language development in preterm infants.
  • Higher educational attainment by caregivers may support better neurodevelopmental outcomes.
  • These findings highlight the importance of considering caregiver background in interventions for preterm infants.

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