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Exploring cognitive, behavioral and autistic trait network topology in very preterm and term-born children
Marguerite Leoni1,2, Lucy D Vanes1,2, Laila Hadaya1,2
1Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.
Insights
Children born very preterm (VPT) show distinct cognitive and behavioral patterns compared to full-term (FT) peers. Network analysis revealed that conduct problems and organizational difficulties are key in VPT children, while task initiation and emotional regulation are crucial in FT children.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Children born very preterm (<32 weeks' gestation) often experience cognitive and behavioral challenges, including inattention, anxiety, and socio-communication issues.
- Existing research frequently examines these difficulties in isolation, overlooking their interconnectedness and impact on overall child development.
- Understanding these developmental interdependencies is crucial for effective interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate cognitive and behavioral outcomes in very preterm (VPT) and full-term (FT) children as interconnected facets of development.
- To identify how different developmental aspects dynamically influence one another within these groups.
- To explore topological differences in developmental networks between VPT and FT children.
Main Methods:
- Network analysis was employed to examine partial correlations between various cognitive and behavioral variables.
- Participants included 93 VPT and 55 FT children, with a median age of 8.79 years.
- Standardized assessments measured IQ (WISC-IV), autism spectrum condition traits (SRS-2), behavioral/emotional problems (SDQ), temperament (TMCQ), and executive function (BRIEF-2).
Main Results:
- Significant topological differences were observed between the VPT and FT child networks.
- In VPT children, conduct problems and difficulties with environmental organization emerged as critical 'bridge' variables.
- In FT children, challenges with task initiation, prosocial behaviors, and emotional problems (e.g., lower mood) were the most connected variables.
Conclusions:
- The findings underscore the distinct developmental networks in very preterm and full-term children.
- Interventions for VPT children may benefit from addressing conduct and organizational skills.
- Targeting task initiation, prosocial behaviors, and emotional regulation is important for supporting FT children.
Introduction:
Compared to full-term (FT) born peers, children who were born very preterm (VPT; <32 weeks' gestation) are likely to display more cognitive and behavioral difficulties, including inattention, anxiety and socio-communication problems. In the published literature, such difficulties tend to be studied independently, thus failing to account for how different aspects of child development interact. The current study aimed to investigate children's cognitive and behavioral outcomes as interconnected, dynamically related facets of development that influence one another.
Methods:
Participants were 93 VPT and 55 FT children (median age 8.79 years). IQ was evaluated with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-4th edition (WISC-IV), autism spectrum condition (ASC) traits with the social responsiveness scale-2nd edition (SRS-2), behavioral and emotional problems with the strengths and difficulties questionnaire (SDQ), temperament with the temperament in middle childhood questionnaire (TMCQ) and executive function with the behavior rating inventory of executive functioning (BRIEF-2). Outcome measures were studied in VPT and FT children using Network Analysis, a method that graphically represents partial correlations between variables and yields information on each variable's propensity to form a bridge between other variables.
Results:
VPT and FT children exhibited marked topological differences. Bridges (i.e., the variables most connected to others) in the VPT group network were: conduct problems and difficulties with organizing and ordering their environment. In the FT group network, the most important bridges were: difficulties with initiating a task or activity and prosocial behaviors, and greater emotional problems, such as lower mood.
Discussion:
These findings highlight the importance of targeting different aspects of development to support VPT and FT children in person-based interventions.
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