Obstetric and perinatal factors as predictors of child behaviour at 5 years.

OBJECTIVE To identify whether obstetric and perinatal factors are independent predictors of child behaviour at 5 years. METHODOLOGY The Mater University Study of Pregnancy (MUSP) is a prospective cohort study of 8556 mothers enrolled in early pregnancy. The relationship of obstetric and perinatal factors, maternal lifestyle, age and gender of the child, and social disadvantage were examined as predictors of child behaviour in 5005 children completing a modified child behaviour checklist at 5 years. This checklist contained three independent groups of behaviour: externalizng, internalizing and SAT (social, attentional and thought problems). RESULTS In the initial analysis a limited number of associations were present. After adjusting for measures of social disadvantage, only number of antenatal admissions was associated with child behaviour in all three scales, while maternal cigarette smoking in pregnancy and male gender were associated with externalising and SAT behaviours. CONCLUSIONS Most common epidemiologic obstetric and perinatal risk factors were not independent predictors of behaviour problems in children at 5 years.