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Developmental pathways leading to externalizing behaviors in 5 year olds born before 29 weeks of gestation
P C Girouard1, R H Baillargeon, R E Tremblay
1Personnel Psychology Center, Public Service Commission of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Insights
Family environment impacts language skills, reducing hyperactivity. Neonatal health influences nonverbal ability, linked to oppositional behaviors, and directly affects hyperactivity in children born preterm. These distinct pathways offer insights into behavioral development.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Pediatrics
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Preterm infants face unique developmental challenges.
- Hyperactive and oppositional behaviors are common in early childhood.
- Understanding early predictors of behavior is crucial for intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine how neonatal health and family environment influence language and nonverbal skills.
- To determine if language and nonverbal skills predict later hyperactivity and oppositional behaviors.
- To investigate the mediating roles of language and nonverbal skills in the relationship between early factors and later behaviors.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study of 62 infants born before 29 weeks gestation.
- Path analysis model to assess direct and indirect effects.
- Data collected on neonatal health, family environment, language, and nonverbal abilities at 18 months corrected age.
- Parental reports of child behaviors at 5 years 9 months.
Main Results:
- Family environment positively predicted language skill, which negatively predicted hyperactivity.
- Neonatal health positively predicted nonverbal ability, which positively predicted oppositional behaviors.
- Neonatal health also showed a direct negative association with hyperactivity.
Conclusions:
- Distinct pathways link early factors to specific behavioral outcomes in preterm children.
- Language skills may buffer against hyperactivity, while nonverbal abilities are associated with oppositional behaviors.
- Neonatal health has both direct and indirect influences on behavioral development.
Abstract:
Longitudinal data for 62 infants born before 29 weeks of gestation were used to assess the influence of four factors (i.e., neonatal health, family environment, language skill, and nonverbal ability) on the parental report of hyperactive and oppositional behaviors of children at 5 years 9 months. The proposed path analysis model tested the following: (1) whether neonatal health and family environment have a direct influence on language skill and nonverbal ability both measured at 18 months corrected age, (2) the predictive value of language skill and nonverbal ability on oppositional and hyperactive behaviors, and (3) whether the effects of neonatal health and/or family environment on oppositional and hyperactive behaviors can be conceived as mediated by language skill and/or nonverbal ability. The results revealed three main pathways. First, family environment predicted language skill, which, in turn, was negatively associated with children's hyperactivity. Second, neonatal health predicted nonverbal ability, which was positively linked to oppositional behaviors. Third, a direct negative relation between neonatal health and hyperactive outcome was observed. The implications of these substantially different pathways for hyperactive and oppositional behaviors are discussed.