Extremely Preemie Babies Prone to Behavior Woes Later On

Children born at or before 25 weeks were 4 times more likely to have problems at age 6, study found

By Kathleen Doheny
HealthDay Reporter

Related Encyclopedia • Acne • AIDS and HIV Infection • Alagille Syndrome • Amenorrhea More... Related Healthscout Videos A Welcome Message from Survivor PJ Hamel Smother Says "Cut!" Maryann and Paula When's the Next Free Mammogram Day? October 17, 2008!!! More... Related Animations • Breast Reduction • Breast Self-Exam Video • Dental Cavities • Erectile Dysfunction More... Related Drug Information • Actonel • Adderal XR • Cialis • Concerta More... Related News Articles • Getting Tough on Bullying • Health Tip: Signs of Celiac Disease in Children • Latin Women More Likely to Be Unhappy With Breast Cancer Treatment Decisions • Scientists ID Uterine Muscle Switch for Contractions More...

TUESDAY, Sept. 2 (HealthDay News) -- A study looking at children born extremely prematurely (at or before 25 weeks of gestation) finds they are at significantly higher risk for behavior problems by age 6, with boys particularly vulnerable.

"Attention problems and social problems with peers have been reported previously" in children born prematurely, noted study lead author Dieter Wolke, professor of developmental psychology and individual differences at the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom.

Text Continues Below

---

But the study, which compared parent and teacher reports of behavior problems at age 6 in 200 children born preterm against 148 children who were born full-term, is more comprehensive, he said, and draws from more than one center. "Most previous studies have used parent reports, very few teacher reports," Wolke said, while his study used both. "Parent reports can be biased," he noted.

The new findings were published in the September issue of the journal Pediatrics.

In the study, teachers and parents were asked about emotional problems, conduct, hyperactivity, peer problems, social behavior and adaptability to school.

Overall, 19.4 percent of the extremely preterm children had behavior problems, but just 3.4 percent of the control children did. "We found that already in 6-year-olds, the extremely preterm child had four times more often emotional problems (anxiety, depression) than controls," Wolke said. "This has not been reported for larger preterm [born after 25 weeks but not full term] children."

Boys were twice as likely as girls to suffer behavioral problems, the researchers found. When they assessed children's cognitive functioning, it explained the hyperactivity and conduct problems, but problems such as poor attention, poor peer relations and emotional problems couldn't be explained by cognitive function, Wolke said.

Page:  1 | 2 | Next >>