Favorable parental perception of behaviour at two years' corrected age in very preterm-born children

Area of Science:

• Neonatal Medicine
• Developmental Psychology
• Pediatric Health

Background:

• Behavioral and emotional problems are known long-term sequelae of preterm birth.
• Prevalence and associations with perinatal risk factors are not well-established, especially in preschool-aged children.
• Research on very preterm infants' behavioral outcomes at age two is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the prevalence of parent-reported behavioral and emotional problems at age two in children born very preterm (gestational age <30 weeks and/or birth weight <1000 g).
• To investigate associations between perinatal risk factors and behavioral/emotional outcomes in this cohort.
• To contribute to understanding the long-term neurodevelopmental impact of extreme prematurity.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective collection of perinatal characteristics from 144 infants in the NeoLiFeS cohort.
• Administration of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) to 101 parents at corrected age of two.
• Analysis of CBCL Z-scores using linear regression to identify associations with perinatal factors.

Main Results:

• Low prevalence of clinically relevant behavioral and emotional problems: 4% (total score), 2% (internalizing), and 5% (externalizing).
• Twin gestation was associated with higher internalizing Z-scores (fewer emotional problems).
• Bronchopulmonary dysplasia was linked to lower total and externalizing Z-scores (more behavioral problems).

Conclusions:

• Very preterm infants in this cohort exhibited a generally low prevalence of behavioral and emotional problems at age two.
• Specific perinatal factors like twin gestation and bronchopulmonary dysplasia showed some associations with behavioral outcomes.
• Findings suggest a potentially better behavioral outlook than previously assumed for some very preterm infants at this age.