Attention problems in very preterm children from childhood to adulthood: the Bavarian Longitudinal Study
Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
Background: Very preterm (VP; gestational age <32 weeks) and very low birth weight (VLBW; <1500 grams) is related to attention problems in childhood and adulthood. The stability of these problems into adulthood is not known. Methods: The Bavarian Longitudinal Study is a prospective cohort study that followed 260 VP/VLBW and 229 term-born individuals from birth to adulthood. Data on attention were collected at 6, 8, and 26 years of age, using parent reports, expert behavior observations, and clinical ADHD diagnoses. Results: At each assessment, VP/VLBW individuals had significantly more attention problems, shorter attention span, and were more frequently diagnosed with ADHD than term-born comparisons. In both VP/VLBW and term-born individuals, overall, attention span increased and attention problems decreased from childhood to adulthood. Attention problems and attention span were more stable over time for VP/VLBW than term-born individuals. Similarly, ADHD diagnoses showed moderate stability from childhood to adulthood in VP/VLBW, but not in term-born individuals. However, when those with severe disabilities were excluded, differences between VP/VLBW and term-born individuals reduced. Conclusions: Despite improvement in attention regulation from childhood to adulthood, children born very preterm remained at increased risk for attention problems in adulthood. In contrast, term-born children with clinical attention problems outgrew these by adulthood. As inattentive behavior of VP/VLBW children may be overlooked by teachers, it may be necessary to raise awareness for school intervention programs that reduce attention problems in VP/VLBW children.
Original language | English |
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Journal | Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines |
Volume | 57 |
Issue number | 2 |
Pages (from-to) | 132-140 |
Number of pages | 9 |
ISSN | 0021-9630 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Feb 2016 |
Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.
- ADHD, attention, longitudinal studies, low birth weight, prematurity
Research areas
ID: 393164536