Psychomotor development of preterm babies in the context of biomedical predictors in a Polish sample

Abstract

Preterm birth represents the most frequent complication of pregnancy all over the world. Much research is address ed to psychomotor development of preterm infants during the initial years of their life. Many authors emphasize the role of birth weight, gestational age, and gender in deter mining the child's psychomotor development. This study adds to this knowledge as we analyzed the synergistic ef fect of biomedical predictors such as gestational age, birth weight, Apgar score, time in incubator, type of pregnancy defined based on its outcome, neonatal status immediately after delivery, infant's gender, and possessing twin sibling. Combined effects of these factors represent an important niche in the studies of the developmental psychology of pre term infants. participants and procedureThe study included 49 preterm infants born in 20082009 at the Department of Obstetrics of the Medical Universi ty of Gdańsk. The psychomotor development of preterm infants was evaluated according to the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development ® , Third Edition (BSIDIII) at a mean, noncorrected age of 33.80 months (SD = 5.16). For the purpose of the study we developed a basic model in the form of a pathway diagram, describing the cumulative influence of eight biomedical predictors on the develop ment of the infants during early childhood. resultsOur study revealed a synergistic influence of biomedical predictors on the de velopment of preterm infants with re gards to cognitive functioning (28% of variance), language skills (10% of variance), motor skills (18% of variance), fine motor skills (16% of variance), and gross motor skills (20% of variance). Moreover, we observed an independent effect of birth weight, child's gender, and final Apgar score on the psychomotor development of preterm infants. Higher birth weight was associated with higher level of cognitive func tion and fine motor skills. Male gender of a child was re flected by a higher level of cognitive function and language skills, including expressive communication. Finally, higher final Apgar scores resulted in better gross motor skills. conclusionsThis study confirmed the independent influence of bio medical predictors, such as birth weight, gender, and Apgar score, on the psychomotor development of preterm babies during early childhood. Medical factors play a crucial role in the evaluation of psychomotor development in preterm infants, and their importance should not be undervalued.key words psychomotor development; preterm infants; early child hood; biomedical predictors; BSIDIII

Music therapy for preterm infants and their parents during NICU stay and beyond: current recommendations for clinical practice in Poland

“…The more extreme the prematurity is, the more adverse are the consequences; however, regardless of gestational age (GA), all preterm babies are at increased risk of health-related problems and adverse developmental outcomes over lifespan. These include respiratory distress syndrome, retinopathy of prematurity, and infection, as well as long lasting sequelae: cerebral palsy, intellectual and learning impairments, psychiatric and behavioral disorders, vision and hearing deficits and loss, chronic lung disease and long-term cardiovascular problems (Bidzan & Bieleninik, 2013;Blencowe et al, 2013). Research has shown that premature birth has an impact on the children's future physical, cognitive, emotional and behavioral functioning (Bernard-Bonnin, 2004;Huhtala et al, 2012;Miles, Holditch-Davis, Schwartz, & Scher, 2007;Singer et al, 1999).…”

Type of Delivery, Neuropsychological Development and Intelligence in Twin Births

“…Certain obstetric conditions frequently associated with multiple pregnancies, such as maternal age, preterm birth, birth weight perinatal hypoxia, or labor complications, have been implicated in developmental delays among children (Calame et al, 2004; Jansson-Verkasalo et al, 2004; David and Dean, 2007; Lollar and Cordero, 2007; Wolke et al, 2008; Cattani et al, 2010; Dall’oglio et al, 2010; Mercier et al, 2010; Kurth and Haussmann, 2011; Bidzan and Bieleninik, 2013; González-Valenzuela et al, 2015a,b). Preterm birth and low birth weight are important determinants of psychological development, since it has been shown that the earlier the birth in terms of weeks of gestation and the lower the birth weight, the greater the delay observed in psychological development, particularly in the first few years (Jansson-Verkasalo et al, 2004; Mercier et al, 2010; Aarnoudse-Moens et al, 2012; Zwicker and Harris, 2012; González-Valenzuela et al, 2015b).…”

“…Preterm birth and low birth weight are important determinants of psychological development, since it has been shown that the earlier the birth in terms of weeks of gestation and the lower the birth weight, the greater the delay observed in psychological development, particularly in the first few years (Jansson-Verkasalo et al, 2004; Mercier et al, 2010; Aarnoudse-Moens et al, 2012; Zwicker and Harris, 2012; González-Valenzuela et al, 2015b). Maternal age under 18 and over 40 is also a cause of high-risk pregnancy and can affect the mother’s health and the baby’s development (David and Dean, 2007; Lollar and Cordero, 2007; Kurth and Haussmann, 2011; Bidzan and Bieleninik, 2013).…”

Perceived Stress as a Predictor of Partnership Relation Quality in Polish Mothers of Preterm-Born Children

“…The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that around 15 million children worldwide are born prematurely each year, and the number of preterm births is increasing steadily [1]. In Poland, the pre-term birth rate is estimated to be around 6.3–8% and is on a downward trend, but still quite high compared to other developed countries in Europe [2,3,4,5,6]. In the case of high-risk pregnancies as well as problems related to procreation, relationship quality becomes extremely significant [2,6,7,8,9] as it may affect a child’s development [10,11].…”