Abstract
To perform a longitudinal investigation of risk factors in premature infants' cognitive, motor, and language development. Thirty-three preterm infants were assessed at 4, 8, and 12 months of corrected age, using the Bayley-III Scales. Parents completed questionnaires regarding development opportunities at home, parenting practices and knowledge. Significant associations were found (1) at 4-months between cognitive scores and family income, variety of stimuli, availability of toys, parenting practices and knowledge; language and parenting practices; and motor skills and parenting practices; (2) at 8-months between cognitive score and length of stay in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), gestational age, birth weight, toys, and parenting knowledge; language and toys; and motor skills and toys and parenting knowledge; (3) at 12-months between cognitive scores and length of stay in the NICU, family income, breastfeeding, toys, and parenting knowledge; language and income and toys; and motor scores and length of stay in the NICU, gestational age, income, stimuli, toys, and parenting knowledge. Regression analyses indicated that: for (1) cognitive development, stimulus variety explained 72% of the model variance at 4 months of age; time at the NICU explained 67 and 43% at 8 and 12 months of age, respectively, and breastfeeding time explained 41% of the model variance at 12 months; (2) for language development, family income explained 42% of the model variance at 12 months; and for motor development (3), time at the NICU explained 80% of the model variance at 12 months. The development over the first year of life is not explained by the severity of birth conditions and associated morbidities only, but also by parenting practices.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have