Recent research in economics emphasizes the role of in utero conditions for the health endowment at birth and in early childhood and for social as well as economic outcomes in later life. This paper analyzes the relation between maternal mental health during pregnancy and birth outcomes of the child.
…Preterm birth is associated with adverse health and developmental sequelae that impose a burden on finite resources and significant challenges for individuals, families and societies.
…Approximately, one in ten infants is born preterm or requires hospitalization at birth. These complications at birth have long-term consequences that can extend into childhood and adulthood. Timely detection of developmental delay through surveillance could enable tailored support for these babies and their families. However, the possibilities for follow-up are limited, especially in middle- and low-income countries, and the tools to do so are either not available or too expensive. A standardized and core set of outcomes for neonates, with feasible tools for evaluation and follow-up, could result in improving quality, enhance shared decision-making, and enable global benchmarking.
…Microscopic studies in newborns and animal models indicate impaired myelination after premature birth, particularly for cortical myelination; however, it remains unclear whether such myelination impairments last into adulthood and – if so – are relevant for impaired cognitive performance. It has been suggested that the ratio of T1w and T2w MRI signal intensity (T1w/T2w ratio) is a proxy for myelin content. We hypothesized altered grey matter (GM) T1w/T2w ratio in premature-born adults, which is associated with lower cognitive performance after premature birth.
…The service configuration with distinct child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) and adult mental health services (AMHS) may be a barrier to continuity of care. Because of a lack of transition policy, CAMHS clinicians have to decide whether and when a young person should transition to AMHS. This study describes which characteristics are associated with the clinicians’ advice to continue treatment at AMHS.
…Background: In mental health, transition refers to the pathway of young people from child and adolescent to adult services. Training of mental health psychiatrists on transition-related topics offers the opportunity to improve clinical practice and experiences of young people reaching the upper age limit of child and adolescent care.
…Preterm birth has been linked with postpartum depressive (PPD) disorders and high symptom levels, but evidence remains conflicting and limited in quality. It remains unclear whether PPD symptoms of mothers with preterm babies were already elevated before childbirth, and whether PPD symptoms mediate/aggravate the effect of preterm birth on child mental disorders.
…Peer victimization and discrimination are two related forms of social victimization.
However, the majority of studies only focus on one form or the other. This study investigates
resilience in victims of both these forms of violence.
Children born extremely preterm (EP) have poorer academic attainment than their term-born peers. There is a need to identify the specific cognitive mechanisms that are associated with poor academic attainment in preterm populations to inform the development of intervention strategies.
…This study examined differences in ADHD symptoms and diagnosis between preterm and term-born adults (≥18 years), and tested if ADHD is related to gestational age, birth weight, multiple births, or neonatal complications in preterm borns.
…