Prediction of behavior problems in 4-year-olds born prematurely

Abstract

Longitudinal follow-up data for 69 very low birthweight preterm infants were used to assess the influence of four factors (neonatal medical complications, infant temperament, mother-child relationships, and family environment) on mother and teacher reports of behavior problems at 4 years. The proposed model of such influences being tested assumed that (1) the effects of neonatal medical factors would be indirect, and (2) each of the other three factors would show high stability from 1 to 4 years and would have a direct influence on behavior problem outcomes. Neither neonatal medical data nor infant-mother attachment were good predictors of behavior problems at age 4. With these exceptions, teacher report of behavior problems was predicted in a fashion consistent with the preliminary model. However, mother reports of behavior problems was predicted only by prior mother reports of child temperament. Discussion focuses on reasons for discrepancies in these pathways of influence.

Behavior Problems in Preschool Children: A Review of Recent Research

“…However, several studies have failed to find a direct association between severity of neonatal cerebral involvement and later behavior problems (Goldberg et al, 1990;Weisglas-Kuperus et al, 1993). Rather, consistent with the arguments of Sameroff (1975), complications were likely to lead to negative outcomes only in conjunction with environmental adversity.…”

Links Between Disorganized Attachment Classification and Clinical Symptoms in School-Aged Children

“…In general, studies show that insecure forms of attachment do not appear to be disorder-specific in their associations, but rather related to a variety of clinical outcomes (Greenberg 1999). Some research employing middle class samples has failed to find strong main effects of insecure attachment and externalizing problems (Bates et al 1985(Bates et al , 1991Fagot and Kavanagh 1990;Goldberg et al 1990;Lewis et al 1984, but see Erickson et al 1985), but in impoverished samples insecure attachment is related to externalizing problems in childhood and early adolescence, especially among boys (Easterbrooks et al 1993;Lyons-Ruth et al 1989;Renken et al 1989;Shaw et al 1996;Shaw and Vondra 1995;Sroufe et al 1990) and to internalizing symptoms (Ogawa et al 1997;Warren et al 1997) in adolescence. In general, links between insecure attachment and symptoms of psychopathology are stronger in samples comprised of higher risk, lower socioeconomic status samples, leading some to argue that insecure attachment operates as a risk factor only in the presence of additional psychosocial stress (Greenberg 1999;Morisset et al 1990;Rutter 1987).…”

Dyadic processes between mothers and preterm infants: Development at ages 2 to 5 years

“…There is increasing evidence among those born full term that initable infants, although amenable to change, may in the context of other risk factors develop more insecure relationships with their mothers (Crockenberg,198 1). Less information exists about children born preterm, although a recent study found that mothers who described their infants as "difficult," a primary component of which is irritability, later reported increased behavior problems (Goldberg, Corter, Lojkasek, & Minde, 1992). The present study adds to the literature in several ways.…”