The interplay between prematurity, maternal stress and children’s intelligence quotient at age 11: A longitudinal study

Abstract

Very premature children (<33 weeks of gestational age (GA)) experience greater academic difficulties and have lower, though normal-range, intelligence quotients (IQs) versus their full-term peers. These differences are often attributed to GA or familial socio-economic status (SES). However, additional factors are increasingly recognized as likely contributors. Parental stress after a child’s premature birth can present as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and can in turn reinforce difficulties in parent-child interaction pattern. Following a longitudinal design, we studied the interplay between a premature child’s perinatal history and maternal PTSD symptoms on intelligence abilities assessed at 11 years of age. Thirty-three very preterm and 21 full-term mother-children dyads partook in the study. Children’s perinatal risk was evaluated at hospital discharge, maternal PTSD symptoms were assessed when the children were 18 months old, and children’s IQ was measured at 11 years old. IQ was significantly lower for preterm than full-term children, without reliable influences from perinatal risk scores. However, lower maternal PTSD symptoms predicted higher IQ in preterm children. This preliminary study highlights the importance detecting maternal PTSD symptoms after a preterm birth and suggests interventions should target reducing maternal PTSD symptoms during early childhood to enhance very preterm children’s intelligence development.

Visitation restrictions: is it right and how do we support families in the NICU during COVID-19?

“…Regardless of the method of inclusion, the family’s role at the bedside, even in a virtual sense, is of paramount importance. Parental stress (particularly post-traumatic stress disorder following NICU admission) has been linked to poorer developmental outcomes in preterm infants [ 16 ]. Cessation of visitation all together, while not empirically studied in a pandemic, would undoubtedly add to the parental stress of NICU admission.…”

Neonatal Multisensory Processing in Preterm and Term Infants Predicts Sensory Reactivity and Internalizing Tendencies in Early Childhood

“…Behavioral risk tendencies in early childhood are often precursors of behavioral disorders later in adolescence or adulthood, such as anxious, withdrawn, or fearful (internalizing) behaviors and aggressive, antisocial (externalizing) behaviors (Achenbach 2009 ). Preterm infants are at higher risk for internalizing and externalizing behaviors (Bhutta et al 2002 ), and ensuing problems at adolescence and adulthood (Hack 2009 ; Hille et al 2008 ; Turpin et al 2019 ). This objective is also predicated on a growing literature in schoolchildren (Barutchu et al 2011 , 2019a , b , c ; Birch and Belmont 1965 ; Denervaud et al 2020 ; Rose et al 2008 , 2012 ) as well as older infants and toddlers showing that multisensory processes, in particular, are predictive of the integrity of various facets of cognitive functions, including memory, attention, executive functions, and fluid intelligence.…”

The Collateral Impact of COVID-19 Emergency on Neonatal Intensive Care Units and Family-Centered Care: Challenges and Opportunities

“…Forcing a parent to be separated from their newborn child is a devastating experience that adds much to the distress of NICU admission (Bembich et al, 2020 ), and could negatively impact child development and family well-being in the long term (Erdei and Liu, 2020 ). Adverse consequences include reduced opportunities for breastfeeding and skin-to-skin touch and holding (Furlow, 2020 ), delayed and reduced parent–infant interactions (which play a crucial role in early regulation of the stress response and provide the foundations for the development of mutual regulation; Stefana and Lavelli, 2017 ; Stefana et al, 2020a ; Lavelli et al, under review), reduced maternal bonding and infant attachment, parental emotional issues (Franck and Spencer, 2003 ; Latva et al, 2004 ; Mäkelä et al, 2018 ), later parental mental well-being (Lean et al, 2018 ), and worse infant/child developmental outcomes (Turpin et al, 2019 ; Cheong et al, 2020 ). For these reasons, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( 2020 ) suggest that “the risks and benefits of temporary separation should be discussed by the healthcare team.”…”