Exceeding expectations after perinatal risks for poor development: associations in term- and preterm-born preschoolers

Abstract

Objective: To define parenting/social characteristics associated with better-than-expected cognitive and motor outcomes in preschoolers at similar perinatal biological risk-level including various gestational ages at birth (GA) and perinatal complications. Study design: Prospective cohort study (n = 87) of children at four years, median GA 29 weeks (IQR 26, 38). Assessments included Differential Ability Scales, Movement Assessment Battery, parenting styles, and social risk scores. Perinatal risk factors were weighted based on regression models for each outcome; individual calculated risk scores became predictors to extract standardized residuals from the mean (>1 SD above mean = better-than-expected). Mixed-effect regressions examined associations between positive adaptation and parenting/social factors. Result: Perinatal risk scores explained 21–53% outcome variability. Children across all GA displayed positive adaptation. Children of parents with higher authoritarian scores had higher odds of better-than-expected outcomes (OR 1.17, p = 0.0002). Conclusion: Parental structure may promote positive adaptation at preschool age in children with perinatal risk factors for poor development, including extreme prematurity.