Trajectories of behavioral problems among moderate-late preterm children from 4 to 10 years: A prospective population-based study

Abstract Background A growing body of research suggests that moderate to late preterm children (MLP; 32 through 36 weeks of gestation) may have higher rates of behavioral problems than full-term (FT) children. However, few studies have followed MLP children over time using a longitudinal design with repeated measures. Aim The current prospective longitudinal study aims to examine the relation between MLP birth and trajectories of behavioral problems among children from ages 4 to 10 years. Study design and subjects The data comes from a Canadian representative population-based study including 1841 FT children and 89 MLP children. Outcome measures Four categories of behavioral problems were measured repeatedly from 4 to 10 years using parent and teacher reports: hyperactivity-impulsivity, inattention, anxiety-depression, and aggression. Developmental trajectories were modeled using Mplus. Results After accounting for child sex and family income, a significant and persistent association was found between MLP birth and the developmental trajectory of hyperactivity-impulsivity reported by the parent. No relation was found regarding trajectories of inattention, anxiety-depression, and aggression problems. Conclusions According to parent reports, MLP children were more likely to exhibit hyperactive and impulsive behaviors compared to FT peers during early childhood. However, the relation between MLP birth and the trajectory of parent-reported hyperactivity-impulsivity was small and was not confirmed by teacher evaluation. Moreover, MLP children did not differ from FT children regarding the overall trajectory of inattention, anxiety-depression, and aggression problems.