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Published on: October 19, 2014
Effortful control and attention as predictors of cognition in children born preterm
Fabíola DA Nobre1, Claudia M Gaspardo2, Maria Beatriz Martins Linhares2
1Department of Psychology, Faculty of Philosophy, Sciences and Letters, University of São Paulo, Brazil.
Insights
Children born preterm often have good cognitive and attention skills at school age. Maternal education and socioeconomic status, along with child temperament and attention, significantly predict cognitive outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Preterm birth is a risk factor for developmental challenges.
- Understanding factors influencing cognitive development in preterm children is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of temperament and attention on school-age cognition in preterm children.
- To control for socioeconomic variables in the analysis of cognitive outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Study included 50 six-year-old children born preterm with very low birth weight.
- Cognitive function assessed using Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-III) and Cancellation Attention Test.
- Maternal interviews using Children's Behavior Questionnaire (CBQ); multiple linear regression analysis performed.
Main Results:
- Most preterm children (70%) showed average or above-average full intellectual quotient (IQ).
- 74% of children had average or above-average attention scores.
- Maternal schooling, child's attention, and temperament (effortful control) predicted verbal and performance IQ, while neonatal factors did not.
Conclusions:
- Preterm children demonstrate significant cognitive and attentional resources for learning in school age.
- Attention, temperament, maternal schooling, and socioeconomic status are key predictors of cognitive outcomes in preterm children.
Background:
Preterm childbirth increases the risk of developmental problems. The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of temperament and attention on the cognition of school-age children who were born preterm, controlling for socioeconomic variables.
Material And Methods:
The sample was composed of 50 six-year-old children who were born preterm with very low birth weight. The children were evaluated using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-III) and the Cancellation Attention Test. The mothers were interviewed using the Children's Behavior Questionnaire (CBQ). Statistical multiple linear regression analyses were performed.
Results:
70% of the children presented average or above-average full intellectual quotient (IQ). In the attention total score, 74% of the children were also within the average range or above. High verbal IQ associated with high maternal schooling explained 73% variability of the full IQ. High attention and maternal schooling, associated with children's temperament with more effortful control, explained 35% variability of the verbal IQ. High attention, associated with high maternal schooling and socioeconomic level, explained 37% variability of the performance IQ. The neonatal clinical variables (gestational age, birth weight, 5th-minute Apgar, and length of stay in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and hospital) were not predictors of cognitive outcomes.
Conclusion:
The majority of the children who were born preterm presented average or above-average cognitive and attentional performances at school age, demonstrating potential resources for learning. Taken together, attention and temperament, associated with maternal schooling and socioeconomic status, were predictors of cognitive outcomes of children born preterm at school age.
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