What A Study Found Out About (Moderate) Preemies & Their Development
From the archive. This post was first published on the original Green Eggs and Moms blog and is kept here as it was.
Can being born just weeks before their due date have an impact on children’s behavioral and emotional development? A study says yes.
The Study
In an online publication from Archives of Disease in Childhood, researchers studied 1,500 children to determine the difference between the growth and development of those born moderately premature (only a few weeks before due date) and full-term.
Less than 1,000 were born moderately premature, while the remaining were carried to term. All children were measured on the following areas at 4 years of age: anxiety or depression, attention disorders, somatic complaints, as well as behavioral and emotional development.
Eurekalert.org defines behavioral as externalizing or acting out problems, and emotional as internalizing.
The Findings
Moderately premature children:
- Were 2.5 times more likely to internalize problems
- Were nearly 70% more likely to externalize problems
- Were 2 times more likely to complain of somatic problems
The Takeaway
In today’s world, where one study after the other is churned out trying to identify the cause(s) of child development issues, it’s important to remember why these researches are conducted in the first place.
To understand child better.
When parents are aware of potential behavioral and emotional issues, they can provide the necessary support to combat the problems.
Source:Eurekalert.org – Kids born just a few weeks early at risk of behavioural problems
Photo:
Creative Commons from Qole Pejorian