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Self-reported mental health in adults born extremely preterm. A population based, cross-sectional study
Åse Margrethe Reed1, Bente Johanne Vederhus2, Geir Egil Eide1
1The Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Bergen, Norway.
Aims:
The study aims to examine whether self-reported mental health outcomes among adults born extremely preterm differ from those of adults born at term.
Methods:
A population-based, cross-sectional study was conducted. The study included 48 eligible individuals born between 1982 and 1985 in western Norway with a gestational age ≤ 28 weeks or birth weight ≤ 1000 g, and 46 term-born controls. Mental health was assessed at age 34 years using the Adult Self-Report questionnaire. Data was analysed to compare outcomes between preterm and term-born controls.
Results:
At age 34 years, 32 (67 %) extremely preterm born and 36 (78 %) term-born participated. The extremely preterm group reported significantly higher scores than the term-born group on the mental health scales for anxious/depressed, withdrawn, somatic complaints, aggressive behaviour, internalizing, and total problems. The extremely preterm group had lower levels of education and employment, and higher rates of disability or unemployment.
Conclusions:
The findings suggest an association between being born extremely preterm or with extremely low birth weight and poorer self-reported mental health in adulthood compared with term-born controls. Future research should investigate potential underlying causes of this relationship to improve understanding and develop preventive strategies.
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