The influence of obstetric variables on school achievement, intelligence and neuropsychological development in a sample of Spanish twins at the age of six: a retrospective study

Abstract

Objectives: The increasing number of multiple pregnancies in recent years has raised a particular concern about the problems associated to these pregnancies. It still remains unclear whether twin deliveries, as currently conceived, provide the same future health chances to both fetuses. In this regard, it is worth mentioning that the effects of obstetric and neonatal care beyond the perinatal period have not often been evaluated. The main objective of this research was to analyze the impact of obstetric and perinatal variables on postnatal neuropsychological development, intelligence and school achievement of twin children.Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional and observational study on 62 pairs of 6-year-old twins, who were on their first year of primary education. All 124 children and their mother were individually assessed and perinatal clinical data were collected. A stratified multivariate analysis was performed using multiple linear regressions.Results: The type of birth was the best predicting variable, so that the best results were achieved in children born in spontaneous vaginal deliveries. Comparatively, however, poorer scores were seen in males second twins born by the vaginal route in spatial structuring, non-verbal development and total development areas, especially in case of delivery before 37 weeks.Conclusions: Our study confirms the impact of some obstetric variables on school achievement and psychological development of twins.