Preterm babies may become difficult kids
1 March 2002
Children born preterm may have difficult temperaments, US researchers have found.
In a study published in Ambulatory Child Health, US researchers found that at 9 months old, children born preterm without severe neurological problems had more difficult and less stable temperaments than those born at term.
Thirty-four pre-term children were rated by their mothers as having a more negative mood, being less adaptable, being more ‘intense’ and having a lower sensory threshold than 40 children born at term.
Only 38 per cent of preterm children were perceived as having an ‘easier than average’ temperament compared to 73 per cent of children born at term.
Preterm children also had less stable temperaments between the ages of 4-9 months than the children born at term.
Last Reviewed: 04 March 2002
- Ambulatory Child Health 2002; 7: 203-12.
