Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 24, 2026

Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
Published on: August 25, 2014
Very Preterm Birth and Parents' Quality of Life 27 Years Later
Dieter Wolke1,2, Nicole Baumann2, Barbara Busch3
1Division of Mental Health and Wellbeing, Warwick Medical School and d.wolke@warwick.ac.uk.
Background And Objectives:
Parents of preterm children experience increased distress early in their children's lives. Whether the quality of life of parents of preterm children is comparable to that of parents of term children by the time their offspring reach adulthood is unknown. What precursors in their offspring's childhood predict parental quality of life?
Methods:
A prospective whole-population study in Germany followed very preterm (VP) (<32 weeks gestation) or very low birth weight (VLBW) (<1500 g) (N = 250) and term-born individuals (N = 230) and their parents (VP or VLBW: N = 219; term: N = 227) from birth to adulthood. Parental quality of life was evaluated with the World Health Organization Quality of Life assessment and the Satisfaction with Life questionnaire when their offspring were adults (mean age 27.3 years, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 27.2 to 27.3). Childhood standard assessments of VP or VLBW and term offspring included neurosensory disability, academic achievement, mental health, and parent-child and peer relationships.
Results:
Overall quality of life of parents of VP or VLBW adults was found to be comparable to parents of term individuals (P > .05). Parental quality of life was not predicted by their children being born VP or VLBW, experiencing disability, academic achievement, or the parent-child relationship in childhood but by their offspring's mental health (B = 0.15, 95% CI: 0.08 to 0.22) and peer relationships (B = 0.09, 95% CI: 0.02 to 0.16) in childhood.
Conclusions:
As a testament to resilience, parents of VP or VLBW adults had quality of life comparable to parents of term adults. Support and interventions to improve mental health and peer relationships in all children are likely to improve parents' quality of life.
More Related Videos
11:50Clinical Practice Protocol of Creative Music Therapy for Preterm Infants and Their Parents in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Published on: January 7, 2020
07:36Modeling Encephalopathy of Prematurity Using Prenatal Hypoxia-ischemia with Intra-amniotic Lipopolysaccharide in Rats
Published on: November 20, 2015
Related Concept Videos
Relationship with Parents: Attachment
Regression Toward the Mean
Socioemotional Development during Infancy
Primary Temperament Types
Environmental Influences on Intelligence
Longitudinal Research
Influence of Parents and Peers on Identity
Parental Influence on Identity Development
Parents serve as primary guides and managers in an adolescent's life, offering support instrumental in decision-making and personal growth....