Attention difficulties in a contemporary geographic cohort of adolescents born extremely preterm/extremely low birth weight.
The aim of this study was to evaluate attention difficulties in a contemporary geographic cohort of adolescents born extremely preterm (EP, <28 weeks' gestation) or extremely low birth weight (ELBW, birth weight <1000 g). The EP/ELBW group included 228 adolescents (mean age = 17.0 years) born in Victoria, Australia in 1991 and 1992. The control group were 166 adolescents (mean age = 17.4 years) born of normal birth weight (birth weight >2499 g) who were recruited in the newborn period and matched to the EP/ELBW group on date of birth, gender, language spoken and health insurance status. Participants were assessed on measures of selective, sustained, and executive (shift and divided) attention, and parents and participants completed behavioral reports. The EP/ELBW group performed more poorly across tests of selective and executive attention, had greater rates of clinically significant difficulties compared with the control group, and also had greater behavioral attention problems as reported by parents. Neonatal risk factors were weakly associated with attention outcomes. In conclusion, higher rates of attention impairments are observed in individuals born EP/ELBW well into adolescence and may have consequences for their transition to adulthood.
1 Critical Care and Neurosciences, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Melbourne, Victoria.
Michelle
M
Wilson-Ching
Carly S
CS
Molloy
Vicki A
VA
Anderson
Alice
A
Burnett
Gehan
G
Roberts
Jeanie L Y
JL
Cheong
Lex W
LW
Doyle
Peter J
PJ
Anderson
D000293:Adolescent; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D001315:Australia; D002648:Child; D003072:Cognition Disorders; D015331:Cohort Studies; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D052577:Infant, Extremely Low Birth Weight; D062071:Infant, Extremely Premature; D007235:Infant, Premature, Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012307:Risk Factors