Developmental outcomes of infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia: Comparison with other medically fragile infants

The purpose of this study was to compare the developmental outcomes and mot her-infant interactions of infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) an d those of other medically fragile infants. One-hour behavioral observation s were made of the interactions of mothers with two groups of infants (23 w ith BPD, 39 medically fragile without BPD or neurological problems) at enro llment, every 2 months during hospitalization, I month after discharge, and at 6 months' and 12 months' corrected age. Assessment of the home environm ent also was done at 6 and 12 months. Multiple regressions were calculated separately for child mental, adaptive, language, and motor outcomes. Predic tors were: home environment assessment, measures of maternal interactive be haviors (positive attention, expression of negative affect, medicalized car egiving), infant group membership,and presence of intraventricular hemorrha ge (IVH) in the infant. There were no significant differences between the t wo groups in any of the developmental outcomes or interactive variables, an d the presence of IVH had no effect on these variables. Maternal positive a ttention and the home environment were correlated with mental development, and mother negative affect was related to adaptive behavior for both groups . Differences in developmental and interactive behaviors between infants wi th BPD and other prematurely born infants found in other studies appear to be a result of chronic health problems and, thus, are not unique to infants with BPD. (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.