Stress of Parenting Very Preterm Infants: Does It Last into a Child's Adulthood?

Having a very preterm infant was not a determinant of parental quality of life as children reached their late 20s.

Very preterm birth (VP; gestational age <32 weeks) or very low birth weight (VLBW; <1500 g) are associated with post-traumatic stress symptoms in parents immediately after birth and high stress levels through early childhood, due to the higher rates of child medical, developmental, and emotional morbidities.

To examine whether parents of VP and VLBW infants have different quality of life or satisfaction than parents of term infants when their children reach adulthood, researchers followed families of some 200 VP or VLBW infants and 200 term infants born in Germany in the mid-1980s. When children were an average age of 27 years old, parent quality of life (comprising physical and psychological health, relationships, and environment) and life …

Reviewing Author

Jenny Radesky, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardMelissa & Doug Toys (Consultant and Board of Directors)

Grant/Research SupportNational Institute for Child Health and Development; National Institutes of Health

Jenny Radesky, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardMelissa & Doug Toys (Consultant and Board of Directors)

Grant/Research SupportNational Institute for Child Health and Development; National Institutes of Health

Stress of Parenting Very Preterm Infants: Does It Last into a Child's Adulthood?

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Reviewing Author