A trajectories of behavior, attention, social and emotional problems from childhood to early adulthood following extremely preterm birth: a prospective cohort study

Abstract

To investigate trajectories of behavior, attention, social and emotional problems to early adulthood in extremely preterm survivors compared to a term-born comparison group. Longitudinal analysis of a prospective, population-based cohort of 315 surviving infants born < 26 completed weeks of gestation recruited at birth in 1995, from the UK/Republic of Ireland, and a term-born comparison group recruited at age 6. The parent-report Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire was completed at age 6, 11, 16 and 19 years.

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Infant Regulatory Problems, Parenting Quality & Childhood Attention Problems

Highlights
•   This study adds to evidence that early regulatory problems may mark the starting point of a trajectory of dysregulation,

•  Poor parenting quality may further exacerbate poor regulation, leading to later childhood attention problems.

•  The positive effect of good parenting quality on attention problems is reduced when mothers cope with mental health problems.

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Managing the link and strengthening transition from child to adult mental health Care in Europe (MILESTONE): background, rationale and methodology

Transition from distinct Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CAMHS) to Adult Mental Health Services (AMHS) is beset with multitude of problems affecting continuity of care for young people with mental health needs. Transition-related discontinuity of care is a major health, socioeconomic and societal challenge globally. The overall aim of the Managing the Link and Strengthening Transition from Child to Adult Mental Health Care in Europe (MILESTONE) project (2014–19) is to improve transition from CAMHS to AMHS in diverse healthcare settings across Europe. MILESTONE focuses on current service provision in Europe, new transition-related measures, long term outcomes of young people leaving CAMHS, improving transitional care through ‘managed transition’, ethics of transitioning and the training of health care professionals.

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Preterm Birth/Low Birth Weight and Markers Reflective of Wealth in Adulthood: A Meta-analysis

Preterm birth and/or low birth weight (PT/LBW) increases the risk of cognitive deficits, which suggests an association between PT/LBW and lower wealth in adulthood. Nevertheless, studies have revealed inconsistent findings so far.

The objectives of this study was to systematically investigate whether PT/LBW is associated with markers of adulthood wealth.

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Cognitive trajectories from infancy to early adulthood following birth before 26 weeks of gestation: a prospective, population-based cohort study

What is already known on this topic?

  • The most common neurologic impairment in children born extremely preterm is in cognitive function.
  • Cognitive development has been well described in infancy and early childhood but the trajectory into early adulthood is unknown.

What this study adds?

  • Impaired cognitive function evident in infancy persists into early adulthood among individuals born extremely preterm, with no evidence of substantial recovery or deterioration.
  • Cognitive test scores in infancy and early childhood reflect early adult outcomes.
  • Male sex and moderate/severe neonatal brain injury has an adverse effect on cognitive trajectories in individuals born extremely preterm.

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Publications

Premature birth and circadian preference in young adulthood: evidence from two birth cohorts

A preference for eveningness (being a “night owl”) and preterm birth (<37 weeks of gestation) are associated with similar adversities, such as elevated blood pressure, impaired glucose regulation, poorer physical fitness, and lower mood. Yet, it remains unclear if and how preterm birth is associated with circadian preference. The aim of this study was to assess this association across the whole gestation range, using both objective and subjective measurements of circadian preference.

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Publications, Uncategorized

Bullying and negative appearance feedback among adolescents: Is it objective or misperceived weight that matters?

This study investigated (1) whether involvement in bullying as a bully, victim or bully-victim was associated with objectively measured overweight or underweight, or whether it was related to weight misperception (i.e., inaccurate perceptions), and (2) whether appearance-specific feedback mediated the relationship between bullying and weight misperception.

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Publications

Naturally occurring circadian rhythm and sleep duration are related to executive functions in early adulthood

Experimental sleep deprivation studies suggest that insufficient sleep and circadian misalignment associates with poorer executive function. It is not known whether this association translates to naturally occurring sleep patterns. A total of 512 of full-term-born members of the Arvo Ylppo Longitudinal Study [mean age = 25.3, standard deviation (SD) = 0.65] (44.3% men) wore actigraphs to define sleep duration, its irregularity and circadian rhythm (sleep mid-point) during a 1-week period (mean 6.9 nights, SD = 1.7). Performance-based executive function was assessed with the Trail-Making Test, Conners’ Continuous Performance Test and Stroop.

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Publications