Brief report: Birth status, medical complications, and social environment:Individual differences in development of preterm, very low birth weight infants
Pj. Miceli et al., Brief report: Birth status, medical complications, and social environment:Individual differences in development of preterm, very low birth weight infants, J PED PSYCH, 25(5), 2000, pp. 353-358
Objective: To assess whether medical complications mediate the relationship
between birth status (i.e., birth weight and gestational age) and developm
ental outcome of preterm, very low birth weight (VLBW) infants, as well as
the role of the early social environment (maternal distress and social supp
ort) in infant development.
Method: Birth status and medical complication information was collected dur
ing the child's NICU stay. Maternal distress was assessed with the Beck Dep
ression Inventory and the Parenting Stress Index at 4 months corrected infa
nt age. Social support was measured with the Dunst Scales at 4 months corre
cted age. Child development measures were collected at 4 and 13 months corr
ected age (Bayley MDI and PDI), and at 36 months chronological age (PPVT-R
and Achenbach CBCL).
Results: Medical complications mediated the birth status-outcome relationsh
ip at 4 and 13 months, but not at 36 months. The 36-month outcomes were pre
dicted by 4-month maternal distress and social support.
Conclusions: Prematurity and VLBW are indirectly related to early developme
ntal outcome through their association with medical complications. However,
by 36 months, developmental outcomes are more closely related to aspects o
f the early social environment than to early physiological factors.