PREMATURITY Prematurity and Its Impact on Psychosocial and Emotional Development in Children

While mortality rates for VLBW infants have declined, there has been increasing concern about their long-term morbidity rates. A small proportion (10% to 15%) of VLBW infants are born with severe neurosensory handicaps such as blindness, deafness, or cerebral palsy, and 30-60% go on to show cognitive deficits, learning disabilities and language impairments. 1,2 VLBW children have been found to exhibit a variety of behavioural problems, such as attention deficit disorder, hyperactivity, excessive shyness and withdrawal, and social problems. 3 About 29% of VLBW children and adolescents exhibit at least one mental health problem. 4 In fact, VLBW children are more than twice as likely to develop attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorders, compared to children born at full term.