Page 67 - Sample Moderate prematurity, socioeconomic status, and neurodevelopment in early childhood

low SES has been identified as one of the main determinants of maternal distress during pregnancy.6, 7 The effects of maternal psychological stress on child health seem to persist long after birth: antenatal maternal stress has been associated with emotional and behavioural problems in childhood8 and with depression in adolescence.9
Parental well-being and involvement during the pre-school years
Neurodevelopmental problems may arise as a consequence of poor parental psychological well-being during the early pre-school years. Due to increased levels of stress, the quality of parenting and parent-child interactions decreases. Parents who experience psychological stress tend to be less attentive and less sensitive, or conversely, they tend to be overprotective.10-13 Either extreme may increase the risk of emotional and behavioural problems in children.14
Preterm birth and low SES have both been identified as potential sources of stress for families.10, 15, 16 Mothers of preterm children may experience more psychological stress due to concern about their children’s health, which results in worrying, anxiety, and feeling depressed. Even mothers of children born late preterm experience more emotional distress than mothers of full-term children.10 Moreover, low SES may increase feelings of distress among parents, for example, concern about how to meet the family’s needs.12 To stop young children from crying, parents exposed to high levels of SES-related stressors, such as unemployment and/or low income, also tend to resort to actions that could be qualified as child abuse.13 At the same time, low SES parents often have limited resources for financial and emotional support and more difficulties in accessing healthcare services.15 If parental psychological stress is not recognized and alleviated in time, the effects of psychosocial problems on offspring can be long-lasting, as illustrated by depressive symptoms in the long term.9
Disruptive effects of moderate prematurity and low SES on brain 7 development
Moderate prematurity and low SES may have direct effects on brain development.
At 32 weeks’ gestation, the volume of the brain has reached only 60% of its volume
at full-term gestation.17 At three months of age, after a period of rapid brain growth, the infant’s brain has already grown from one third to one half of adult brain volume.18 The lack of three to eight weeks of intrauterine brain growth may have consequences for neurodevelopment. Indeed, some specific alterations in
General discussion
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