Risk factors for cognitive, motor and language development of preterm children in the first year of life

Abstract

Objective: To perform a longitudinal investigation of risk factors in premature infants’ cognitive, motor, and language development. Methods: 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. Results: 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. Conclusions: 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.