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Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
19:15

Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale

Published on: August 25, 2014

Minor congenital malformations and mental characteristics during childhood: high-risk and normal-risk groups

T F McNeil1, G Blennow, E Cantor-Graae

  • 1Department of Psychiatry, University of Lund, Malmö, Sweden.

The American Journal of Orthopsychiatry
|July 1, 1993
PubMed

Insights

Children with congenital malformations (CMs) show poorer attention and increased anxiety, relational difficulties, and mental disturbance. These effects were not observed in children with heightened psychiatric risk.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental psychology
  • Pediatric medicine
  • Child psychiatry

Background:

  • Congenital malformations (CMs) can impact child development.
  • The relationship between CMs and mental health in children requires further investigation.
  • Psychiatric risk may moderate the effects of CMs on mental characteristics.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between congenital malformations (CMs) and mental health outcomes in children.
  • To explore whether psychiatric risk influences the impact of CMs on child mental characteristics.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal study design.
  • Assessment of congenital malformations (CMs) at birth.
  • Evaluation of mental characteristics including attention persistence, anxiety-proneness, interpersonal competency, and mental disturbance at different childhood ages.

Main Results:

  • Children with CMs and normal psychiatric risk exhibited significantly poorer attention persistence in early childhood.
  • These children also showed greater anxiety-proneness, poorer interpersonal relational competency, and more mental disturbance by age six.
  • No significant relationship between CMs and mental characteristics was found in children with heightened psychiatric risk.

Conclusions:

  • Congenital malformations (CMs) are associated with adverse mental health outcomes in children without pre-existing psychiatric risk.
  • The presence of heightened psychiatric risk may mitigate the negative mental health effects of CMs.
  • Early identification and support for children with CMs are crucial for addressing developmental and mental health challenges.

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