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Length of preschool hospitalization, multiple admissions and later educational attainment and behaviour
1Department of Child Health, University of Bristol.
Insights
Hospitalization before age 5 impacts children's vocabulary and academic skills. Frequent admissions between ages 2-5 are linked to behavioral issues, highlighting the need for better hospital support services.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Developmental Psychology
- Educational Psychology
Background:
- Previous research identified differences in educational performance and behavior between hospitalized and non-hospitalized children.
- The 1970 British Birth Cohort study provides a unique dataset for longitudinal analysis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between hospitalization duration and frequency before age 5 and children's cognitive and behavioral outcomes.
- To examine the relationship between hospitalization during different age periods (before 5, 5-10) and later educational attainment and behavior.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of data from the 1970 British Birth Cohort, comparing hospitalized (n=2900) and non-hospitalized (n=11,000) children.
- Statistical examination of correlations between length/frequency of hospital admissions and performance on vocabulary, reading, and mathematics tests.
- Assessment of behavioral outcomes (antisocial, anxious) at ages 5 and 10, considering confounding factors.
Main Results:
- Extended hospitalization before age 5 correlated with lower vocabulary scores at ages 5 and 10, particularly for first admissions between 2-5 years.
- Preschool hospitalization duration was linked to reading and mathematics attainment at age 10.
- The number of hospital admissions before age 5 (not duration) was associated with antisocial and anxious behavior at age 5, especially for admissions between 2-5 years.
- Hospital admissions between ages 5-10 showed a strong association with behavioral scores at age 10.
Conclusions:
- Hospitalization experiences in early childhood can have lasting effects on cognitive development and behavior.
- Interventions focusing on reducing anxiety during hospitalization and enhancing educational support services are recommended.
- Targeted support may be particularly beneficial for children experiencing multiple admissions between ages 2 and 5.
Abstract:
Differences in educational performance and behaviour at age 10 years between 2900 hospitalized and 11,000 non-hospitalized children in the 1970 British Births Cohort were described previously. In the present analysis associations were found between the length of time children spent in hospital before the age of 5 years and performance on vocabulary tests at age 5 and age 10. Children whose first admission occurred between 2 and 5 years of age were particularly likely to show this association. There was also a relationship between the length of preschool hospitalization and reading and mathematics attainment at age 10. It was the number of times a child was admitted to hospital before the age of 5, rather than the length of stay, which was associated with antisocial and anxious behaviour at age 5. The association was evident when the first admission occurred between 2 and 5 years of age and not before age 2. There was no association with such behaviour at age 10 once social and family factors and readmission between ages 5 and 10 were taken into account. There was a strong association between admission between ages 5 and 10 and behaviour scores at age 10. The results are interpreted as providing evidence for a need to develop the hospital educational service to ameliorate these associations and to review schemes which reduce the anxiety-provoking aspects of hospitalization for young children.