This study focuses on moderate-to-late preterm (MLPT) children (i.e., born between 32 and 36 weeks of gestation) , who are known to be at increased risk of developing emotional and behavioural problems in childhood and adolescence. Given the substantial improvements in neonatal care in recent decades, the authors hypothesised that there might have been a … Read more
Changes in emotional problems, hyperactivity and conduct problems in moderate to late preterm children and adolescents born between 1958 and 2002 in the United Kingdom
Gestational age, parent education, and education in adulthood
BACKGROUND Adults born preterm (<37 weeks) have lower educational attainment than those born term. Whether this relationship is modified by family factors such as socioeconomic background is, however, less well known. We investigated whether the relationship between gestational age and educational attainment in adulthood differed according to parents’ educational level in 4 Nordic countries. METHODS … Read more
Association of Very Preterm Birth or Very Low Birth Weight With Intelligence in Adulthood: An Individual Participant Data Meta-analysis
Question Is very preterm birth or very low birth weight vs term birth associated with intelligence in adulthood? Findings In this meta-analys is of individual participant data from 8 cohorts comprising 2135 adults with and without very preterm birth or very low birth weight in 7 countries, IQ was significantly lower among adults who were … Read more
Subjective Well-Being and Self-Esteem in Preterm Born Adolescents: An Individual Participant Data Meta-Analysis
This paper looks at the self-reported well-being and self-esteem of adolescents born very preterm and moderate to late preterm compared with those born full-term. Using information on around 14,500 people born In the UK, Germany and Switzerland, and whose lives were tracked into adolescence, the researchers found no difference between the general well-being around family, … Read more
Mental health outcomes of adults born very preterm or with very low birth weight: A systematic review
Preterm birth research is poised to explore the mental health of adults born very preterm(VP;<32+0 weeks gestational age) and/or very low birth weight(VLBW;<1500g) through individual participant data meta-analyses, but first the previous evidence needs to be understood. We systematically reviewed and assessed the quality of the evidence from VP/VLBW studies with mental health symptoms or … Read more
Common Core Assessments in follow-up studies of adults born preterm – Recommendation of the Adults Born Preterm International Collaboration
Background: Of all newborns, 1%-2% are born very preterm (VP; <32 weeks) or with very low birthweight (VLBW; ≤1500 g). Advances in prenatal and neonatal care have substantially improved their survival, and the first generations who have benefited from these advances are now entering middle age. While most lead healthy lives, on average these adults … Read more
Physical Activity, Mental Health, and Well‐Being in Very Pre‐Term and Term Born Adolescents: An Individual Participant Data Meta‐Analysis of Two Accelerometry Studies
This study looks at whether physical activity is associated with better mental health and well‐being among very preterm (≤32 weeks) and term born (≥37 weeks) adolescents alike or whether the associations are stronger in either of the groups. It finds that those young people in the study who exercised more had fewer problems with their … Read more
Association of Preterm Birth and Low Birth Weight With Romantic Partnership, Sexual Intercourse, and Parenthood in Adulthood: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
This systematic review and analysis of existing research suggests that adults born preterm or with low birth weight are less likely than adults born full-term to experience a romantic partnership, sexual intercourse, or to become parents. However, preterm birth or low birth weight does not seem to impair the quality of relationships with partners and … Read more
Is Social Inequality in Cognitive Outcomes Increased by Preterm Birth–Related Complications?
Dieter Wolke writes in an editorial about the relationship between maternal socioeconomic status and children’s cognitive outcomes among preterm children. He re-emphasizes what was emphasized already 40 years ago – the need to study the effect of family, social, and caretaking as risk factors in developmental outcomes among children born at high neonatal risk.