title: Risk and resilience in preterm children at age 6.
abstract: Children born preterm are at risk for experiencing significant deleterious developmental outcomes throughout their childhood and adolescence. However, individual variation and resilience are hallmarks of the preterm population. The present study examined pathways to resilience across multiple domains (e.g., social activities, peer relations, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptomology, externalizing and internalizing behavior, and sleep quality) as children born preterm reached school age. The study also examined early child and family predictors of resilience. Using a prospective longitudinal design, 173 infants born preterm and without significant neurological complications were assessed at five time points: neonatal intensive care unit discharge, 9 months, 16 months, 24 months, and 6 years. Three pathways of adaptation emerged at 6 years: children who were resilient, those who remained at-risk, and children who exhibited significant difficulties. Resilient children were less likely to have experienced negative parenting at 9 and 16 months, more likely to delay gratification at 24 months, and more likely to experience neonatal health complications than nonresilient children.
authors.affiliation: University of Wisconsin-Madison.
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Poehlmann-Tynan
authors.affiliation: University of Missouri-St. Louis.
authors.forename: Emily D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Gerstein
authors.affiliation: University of Wisconsin-Madison.
authors.forename: Cynthia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Burnson
authors.affiliation: University of Wisconsin-Madison.
authors.forename: Lindsay
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Weymouth
authors.affiliation: University of Wisconsin-Madison.
authors.forename: Daniel M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Bolt
authors.affiliation: University of Wisconsin-Madison.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maleck
authors.affiliation: Purdue University.
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Schwichtenberg
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological / Q000502:physiology*; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000503:physiopathology; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D065786:Delay Discounting; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D055500:Resilience, Psychological; D012306:Risk