Longitudinal follow-up of children born preterm: The mother-child relationship in a 19-year perspective

In this longitudinal prospective study, two groups of children, preterms and fullterms, were followed up regarding the mother-child relationship at 9 and 19 years of age. Information was obtained from both the children and their mothers. A self-report scale was utilized for the assessment of the conscious attachment model, and percept-genetic tests displaying pictorial mother-child themes were utilized as a method of evaluating the unconscious attachment model. A questionnaire was used to measure the degree of expressed emotion in the mother-child relationship. Percept-genetic tests showed that at 9 years of age, the preterm children and their mothers differed significantly from the full-terms in their reports of the mother-child theme, and that at age 19, the preterms differed significantly from the full-terms in their perceptions of the attachment and separation themes. A greater degree of expressed emotion was found among the preterm mother-child dyads. The results indicate that preterm children may harbour emotional vulnerability regarding attachment and separation as young adults.