Social Functioning in Young Adults Born Very Preterm

This study explored the impact of very preterm (VPT; < 32 weeks' gestation) compared with full-term (FT; 37-41 weeks' gestation) birth on social functioning at age 20 years, and examined this within gender.

Three social functioning domains (social cognition, social interaction and social adjustment) were assessed by self-report questionnaires at age 20 years in the Victorian Infant Brain Study longitudinal cohort, comprising 123 individuals born VPT and 47 born FT. Differences in social functioning between groups were estimated using generalised linear models, adjusted for multiple birth and social risk (familial sociodemographic risk).

VPT-born adults self-reported similar levels of social functioning compared with FT-born adults. VPT participants were more likely to be classified as exhibiting poor social information processing and low social activity participation than FT participants, but the level of certainty in findings is low given wide CIs. There was little evidence that the effect of birth group on social functioning varied within gender.

Social functioning was generally comparable between individuals born VPT and FT at 20 years, although this study may have lacked the statistical power to detect subtle deficits with confidence. Large-scale replication studies are needed, given the critical importance of social functioning for well-being.