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Social cognition, adaptive functioning, and behavior problems in preschoolers born extremely preterm

Isabelle Marleau1,2, Mélissa Vona3, Charlotte Gagner3

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Sherbrooke , Sherbrooke, Canada.

Child Neuropsychology : a Journal on Normal and Abnormal Development in Childhood and Adolescence
|July 28, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Children born extremely prematurely exhibit deficits in social cognition, including theory of mind and affect recognition. These early social challenges impact adaptive functioning and prosocial behavior, suggesting a need for targeted interventions.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Pediatrics

Background:

  • Prematurity is linked to neurodevelopmental issues, with social impairments frequently observed in preterm children.
  • The origins of social difficulties in preterm children are unclear but may relate to social cognitive skills like theory of mind.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate social cognitive, adaptive, and behavioral functioning in extremely preterm-born children.
  • To compare social functioning between extremely preterm children and term-born controls.

Main Methods:

  • Thirty extremely preterm (22-28 weeks gestation) and 30 term-born children (ages 4.5-5.9 years) were assessed.
  • Measures included theory of mind, affect recognition, and parent-reported adaptive social functioning and behavior.
  • Analyses controlled for cognitive, attentional, executive, sociodemographic, and perinatal factors.

Main Results:

  • Extremely preterm children showed significantly poorer theory of mind and affect recognition compared to term controls.
  • Parents reported lower adaptive social functioning and prosocial behavior in extremely preterm children.
  • Deficits were observed across social cognitive, adaptive, and behavioral domains.

Conclusions:

  • Extreme preterm birth negatively impacts social cognitive, adaptive, and behavioral functioning.
  • These findings help explain social challenges in extremely preterm children.
  • Results suggest potential targets for interventions to improve social outcomes.

Keywords:
Prematuritysocial cognitionsocial developmentsocial skillstheory of mind

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