Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences and.
Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
Pediatrics. 2020 May;145(5). doi: 10.1542/peds.2019-2699. Epub 2020 Apr 10.
Children born very preterm (VPT) are at an increased risk of developing mental health (MH) disorders. Our aim for this study was to assess rates of MH disorders in children born VPT and term at 13 years of age and stability of MH disorders between ages 7 and 13 years by using a diagnostic measure.
Participants were from the Victorian Infant Brain Study longitudinal cohort and included 125 children born VPT (<30 weeks' gestational age and/or <1250 g) and 49 children born term (≥37 weeks' gestational age) and their families. Participants were followed-up at both 7 and 13 years, and the Development and Well-Being Assessment was administered to assess for MH disorders.
Compared with term peers, 13-year-olds born VPT were more likely to meet criteria for any MH disorder (odds ratio 5.9; 95% confidence interval 1.71-20.03). Anxiety was the most common disorder in both groups (VPT = 14%; term = 4%), whereas attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder carried the greatest differential elevated risk (odds ratio 5.6; 95% confidence interval 0.71-43.80). Overall rates of MH disorders remained stable between 7 and 13 years, although at an individual level, many participants shifted in or out of diagnostic categories over time.
Children born VPT show higher rates of MH disorders than their term peers, with changing trajectories over time. Findings highlight the importance of early identification and ongoing assessment to support those with MH disorders in this population.
极早产儿（VPT）出生的儿童患心理健康（MH）障碍的风险增加。本研究旨在使用诊断措施评估 13 岁时 VPT 和足月出生的儿童 MH 障碍的发生率以及 7 至 13 岁之间 MH 障碍的稳定性。
参与者来自维多利亚婴儿大脑研究纵向队列，包括 125 名 VPT（<30 周龄和/或<1250g）和 49 名足月（≥37 周龄）出生的儿童及其家庭。对参与者进行了 7 岁和 13 岁的随访，并进行了发展和健康评估，以评估 MH 障碍。
与足月同龄儿相比，VPT 出生的 13 岁儿童更有可能符合任何 MH 障碍的标准（优势比 5.9；95%置信区间 1.71-20.03）。焦虑是两组中最常见的疾病（VPT=14%；足月=4%），而注意力缺陷/多动障碍则具有最大的差异风险（优势比 5.6；95%置信区间 0.71-43.80）。尽管在个体水平上，许多参与者随着时间的推移在诊断类别中进出，但 MH 障碍的总体发生率在 7 至 13 岁之间保持稳定。
与足月同龄儿相比，VPT 出生的儿童 MH 障碍发生率较高，且随着时间的推移呈现出不同的发展轨迹。研究结果强调了早期识别和持续评估的重要性，以支持该人群中患有 MH 障碍的儿童。
