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Updated: Nov 10, 2025

Assessing the Coherence of Parents' Short Narratives Regarding their Child Using the Five-Minute Speech Sample Procedure
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Peer Relationship Trajectories in Very Preterm and Term Individuals from Childhood to Early Adulthood

Lucia M Reyes1, Julia Jaekel1,2,3, Peter Bartmann4

  • 1Department of Child and Family Studies, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Knoxville, TN.

Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics : JDBP
|March 31, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Very preterm children with early cognitive deficits face peer relationship challenges. Positive parent-infant relationships can mitigate these long-term peer problems.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Pediatrics
  • Social Neuroscience

Background:

  • Peer relationships are crucial for social-emotional development.
  • Very preterm/very low birth weight (VP/VLBW) individuals may experience difficulties in social functioning.
  • Longitudinal studies are needed to understand the developmental trajectories of peer relationships in VP/VLBW populations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify distinct developmental trajectories of peer relationships (peer acceptance, friendships, peer problems) from childhood to adulthood.
  • To examine early-life predictors, including VP/VLBW status and parent-infant relationship quality, of these peer relationship trajectories.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective longitudinal study of 218 VP/VLBW and 220 term-born individuals from birth to 26 years.
  • Latent profile analysis to identify peer relationship trajectories based on parent and self-reports.
  • Logistic regression analyses to assess predictors such as cognitive abilities and parent-infant relationship quality.

Main Results:

  • Three trajectories for peer acceptance and friendships, and two for peer problems were identified.
  • Higher cognitive abilities at 20 months predicted more optimal trajectories in peer acceptance, friendships, and fewer peer problems.
  • A positive parent-infant relationship at 5 months predicted trajectories with fewer peer problems.

Conclusions:

  • Early cognitive abilities are significant predictors of long-term peer relationship success.
  • Interventions supporting positive parent-infant relationships may buffer against peer relationship difficulties in very preterm children.
  • Findings highlight the importance of early cognitive development and supportive relationships for social adjustment in VP/VLBW individuals.
Abstract

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