Neurobehavioral development of preterm and full term children: biomedical and environmental influences.

BACKGROUND

Previous studies indicate that VLBW preterm children obtain significantly lower scores than full-term children in all the NBAS clusters. However the samples studied usually presented additional medical complications.

AIMS

The present study aims to compare the results obtained by low-risk preterm and full term children in the NBAS, and relate possible differences to biological and contextual factors.

METHOD

Early neurobehavioral development of 150 preterm (PR) children is compared to that of 49 full term children (FT). The children were assessed at the age of 15 days (corrected age for preterm children) with the NBAS. Biological and environmental variables were collected through an extended interview with the mothers as well as medical data.

RESULTS

Significant differences were found between preterm and full term children in the following areas: motor, range of state, and regulation of state. Differences were also found in relation to birth weight in these same three areas, following a parallel pattern. These differences between the two groups were not, however, necessarily more favorable for the FT group; the PR group had higher results in the motor and range of state areas, and lower results in the regulation of state area. The mothers' smoking habit had a negative effect on infants' regulation and orientation.

CONCLUSIONS

No general maturation delay in this particular sample of preterm children was found.