Behavioral Outcomes of Infant Colic in Toddlerhood: A Longitudinal Study
Georgie Bell1, Harriet Hiscock2, Sherryn Tobin3
1Centre for Community Child Health, The Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, Australia.
Insights
Infants with colic whose crying resolves by six months show no negative medium-term outcomes in behavior or family functioning. This suggests that infant colic is a temporary condition with no lasting adverse effects.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Developmental Psychology
- Family Studies
Background:
- Infant colic, characterized by excessive crying, affects a significant portion of newborns.
- While often distressing for parents, the long-term developmental impact of colic that resolves spontaneously is not well-established.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if infants experiencing colic that self-resolves before six months have poorer medium-term developmental outcomes compared to infants without colic.
- To assess differences in child behavior, temperament, regulatory issues, and family functioning between these two groups.
Main Methods:
- A comparative study involving two prospective, community-based cohorts of children aged 2-3 years in Melbourne, Australia.
- The study compared children with a history of colic (True Colic Cohort) against those without (No Colic Cohort).
- Caregiver reports on child behaviors, temperament, regulatory problems, and family functioning were collected and analyzed using regression models.
Main Results:
- No significant differences were found between the True Colic Cohort and the No Colic Cohort regarding internalizing or externalizing behavior problems.
- Temperament, parental perception of regulatory problems (crying, sleeping, feeding), and family functioning also showed no statistically significant differences between the groups.
Conclusions:
- Infants whose colic resolves by six months do not exhibit adverse medium-term effects on child behavior, regulatory abilities, temperament, or family functioning.
- These findings provide reassurance to parents and clinicians that infant colic is typically a transient issue with no lasting negative consequences.
Objective:
To assess whether infants with colic that resolved before 6 months of age have poorer medium-term outcomes than infants without colic.
Study Design:
Comparative study of 2 prospective, community-based cohorts of children aged 2-3 years in Melbourne, Australia: children from the Baby Biotics study, with previously diagnosed Wessel criteria of colic without problem crying at 6 months (True Colic Cohort), vs children from the Baby Business trial, without problem crying at 1, 4, and 6 months (No Colic Cohort). Caregiver report of child internalizing and externalizing behaviors (primary outcome), temperament, regulatory (crying/sleeping/feeding) problems, and family functioning at child age 2-3 years was collected. We conducted regression analyses of mean differences/ORs adjusted for child sex, age, social disadvantage, parental education, and maternal mental health.
Results:
In total, 74% of the original Baby Biotics (n = 124) sample and 75% of the Baby Business (n = 503) sample completed questionnaires. In adjusted analyses, there were no significant differences between the True Colic Cohort (n = 99) and No Colic Cohort (n = 182) in internalizing behavior problems (adjusted mean difference 0.73; 95% CI -3.96 to 5.43, P = .76) or externalizing behavior problems (adjusted mean difference -1.53; 95% CI -6.02 to 2.97, P = .51). There were no statistically significant differences between groups in temperament, parental perception of regulatory problems, or family functioning.
Conclusions:
Infants with colic whose crying self-resolves do not experience adverse effects regarding child behavior, regulatory abilities, temperament, or family functioning in the medium term. Parents and clinicians can be reassured that infant crying as the result of colic, and related stress, is short-lived and will likely resolve.
Related Concept Videos
01:26Longitudinal Studies
02:20Longitudinal Research
02:24Predicting Reaction Outcomes
01:13Outcomes of Glycolysis
Cellular respiration can occur aerobically (with oxygen) or anaerobically (without oxygen). In the presence of oxygen, cellular respiration starts with glycolysis and continues with pyruvate...
00:54What is Behavior?
01:11Guidelines for Writing Outcome
Patient outcomes reflect the patient's response to the goal rather than what the nurse aims to achieve. Terminology should be observable and measurable to avoid the reader's interpretation. The desired outcome should be realistic and achievable in the designated care timeframe. Expected outcomes should align with adjunctive therapies. The outcome should enhance care...