title: Self-Reported Mental Health Problems Among Adults Born Preterm: A Meta-analysis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Preterm birth increases the risk for mental disorders in adulthood, yet findings on self-reported or subclinical mental health problems are mixed.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To study self-reported mental health problems among adults born preterm at very low birth weight (VLBW; ≤1500 g) compared with term controls in an individual participant data meta-analysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Adults Born Preterm International Collaboration.
  
  
  METHODS
  Studies that compared self-reported mental health problems using the Achenbach Young Adult Self Report or Adult Self Report between adults born preterm at VLBW (n= 747) and at term (n= 1512).
  
  
  METHODS
  We obtained individual participant data from 6 study cohorts and compared preterm and control groups by mixed random coefficient linear and Tobit regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Adults born preterm reported more internalizing (pooled β = .06; 95% confidence interval .01 to .11) and avoidant personality problems (.11; .05 to .17), and less externalizing (-.10; -.15 to -.06), rule breaking (-.10; -.15 to -.05), intrusive behavior (-.14; -.19 to -.09), and antisocial personality problems (-.09; -.14 to -.04) than controls. Group differences did not systematically vary by sex, intrauterine growth pattern, neurosensory impairments, or study cohort.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Exclusively self-reported data are not confirmed by alternative data sources.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Self-reports of adults born preterm at VLBW reveal a heightened risk for internalizing problems and socially avoidant personality traits together with a lowered risk for externalizing problem types. Our findings support the view that preterm birth constitutes an early vulnerability factor with long-term consequences on the individual into adulthood.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and Logopedics, and riikka.pyhala@helsinki.fi.|Folkhälsan Research Centre, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Riikka
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pyhälä
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and Logopedics, and.
authors.forename: Elina
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Wolford
authors.affiliation: Department of General Practice, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.|Unit of Primary Health Care, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.|Unit of Primary Health Care, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland.
authors.forename: Hannu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kautiainen
authors.affiliation: Children's Hospital, Helsinki University Hospital and University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Sture
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Andersson
authors.affiliation: Department of Neonatology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bartmann
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Baumann
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Children's and Women's Health.
authors.forename: Ann-Mari
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Brubakk
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Children's and Women's Health.|Department of Public Health and General Practice, and.
authors.forename: Kari Anne I
authors.initials: KAI
authors.lastname: Evensen
authors.affiliation: Children's Hospital, Helsinki University Hospital and University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.|National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Petteri
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hovi
authors.affiliation: Children's Hospital, Helsinki University Hospital and University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.|National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland.|National Institute for Health and Welfare, Oulu, Finland.|PEDEGO Research Unit, Medical Research Center Oulu, Oulu University Hospital and University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
authors.forename: Eero
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kajantie
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and Logopedics, and.|University/British Heart Foundation Centre for Cardiovascular Science, Queen's Medical Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Marius
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lahti
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences.
authors.forename: Ryan J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Van Lieshout
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, and.
authors.forename: Saroj
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Saigal
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland.|Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behavior, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Louis A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.affiliation: Regional Centre for Child and Youth Mental Health and Child Welfare, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.|Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, St. Olav's Hospital, Trondheim University Hospital, Norway; and.
authors.forename: Marit S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Indredavik
authors.affiliation: Department of Neonatology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany.|Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Dieter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wolke
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and Logopedics, and.
authors.forename: Katri
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Räikkönen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000523:psychology*; D019102:Infant, Very Low Birth Weight / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D008603:Mental Health; D057566:Self Report; D055815:Young Adult