Development of neonatal high-risk preterm infants in comparison to full-term counterparts

Abstract

Studies on preterm infants usually exclude high-risk neonatal infants with neurological problems. However, it is important to study high-risk preterm infants to better understand later developmental problems. Therefore, this cross-sectional study aimed to compare the cognitive, motor, language, and social-emotional development of high-risk preterm (PT) infants with infants born full-term (FT) with no biological vulnerabilities during early development (up to the first 15 months of age). The sample comprised 133 infants (54 born PT and 79 born FT) assessed in independent subsamples at 6–8 and 12–15 months of age, considering the corrected age for prematurity in the PT infants. Infant development (cognitive, motor, language, and social-emotional) was evaluated using the Bayley-III Scales. Medical charts were reviewed to obtain the clinical history. A multivariate analysis of variance and analysis of variance tests were performed to examine the differences between groups related to infant developmental indicators, controlling for age and socioeconomic variables. Although the PT infants performed significantly more poorly than their FT counterparts, the scores of the PT group were still within the normal range on all Bayley-III domains (cognitive, language, motor, and social-emotional) than their FT counterparts. The findings of the present study provide a better understanding of the developmental prognosis of high-risk PT infants and extend support for preventive intervention programs to improve early childhood development.

Keywords:

• Preterm
• development
• neonatal clinical risk

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank all the parents and children who participated in the present study.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

The study was partially supported by grant nº 152856/2016-1 from the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), by grant nº 2015/50502-8 from the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), and the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Level Personnel (CAPES) - Finance Code 001.