Lovato Irene, Vanes Lucy D, Sacchi Chiara, Simonelli Alessandra, Hadaya Laila, Kanel Dana, Falconer Shona, Counsell Serena, Redshaw Maggie, Kennea Nigel, Edwards Anthony David, Nosarti Chiara
Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London SE1 7EH, UK.
Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialization, University of Padova, 35151 Padova, Italy.
Children (Basel). 2022 Apr 3;9(4):508. doi: 10.3390/children9040508.
Childhood temperament is an early characteristic shaping later life adjustment. However, little is currently known about the stability of early temperament and its susceptibility to the environment in children born very preterm (VPT; <33 weeks’ gestation). Here, we investigated infant-to-childhood temperamental trajectories, and their interaction with parental practices, in VPT children. Maternal reports of infant temperament were collected in 190 infants (mean age: 11.27 months; range 9−18 months) enrolled in the longitudinal Evaluation of Preterm Imaging (ePrime; Eudra: CT 2009-011602-42) study, using the ePrime questionnaire on infant temperament. At 4−7 years of age, further assessments of child temperament (Children’s Behavior Questionnaire—Very Short Form) and parenting style (Arnold’s Parenting Scale) were conducted. Results showed that more difficult temperament in infancy was associated with increased Negative Affectivity in childhood, regardless of parenting practices. This lends support to the stability of early temperamental traits reflecting negative emotionality. In contrast, a lax parenting style moderated the relationship between easy infant temperament and Negative Affectivity at 4−7 years, such that an easier infant temperament was increasingly associated with higher childhood Negative Affectivity scores as parental laxness increased. These results highlight a potential vulnerability of VPT infants considered by their mothers to be easy to handle, as they may be more susceptible to the effects of suboptimal parenting in childhood.
儿童气质是塑造后期生活适应能力的早期特征。然而，目前对于极早产儿（VPT；妊娠<33周）早期气质的稳定性及其对环境的易感性知之甚少。在此，我们调查了极早产儿从婴儿期到儿童期的气质发展轨迹，以及它们与父母养育方式的相互作用。在参与纵向早产儿影像评估（ePrime；欧盟临床试验注册号：CT 2009-011602-42）研究的190名婴儿（平均年龄：11.27个月；范围9 - 18个月）中，使用ePrime婴儿气质问卷收集了母亲对婴儿气质的报告。在儿童4 - 7岁时，进一步评估了儿童气质（儿童行为问卷 - 简表）和养育方式（阿诺德养育量表）。结果显示，无论养育方式如何，婴儿期较难的气质与儿童期消极情绪增加有关。这支持了反映消极情绪的早期气质特征的稳定性。相比之下，宽松的养育方式调节了婴儿期易养气质与4 - 7岁时消极情绪之间的关系，即随着父母宽松程度的增加，较易养的婴儿气质与更高的儿童期消极情绪得分越来越相关。这些结果凸显了母亲认为易于照料的极早产儿可能存在的潜在脆弱性，因为他们在童年时期可能更容易受到不良养育方式的影响。
