A Comparison of the effects of preterm birth and institutional deprivation on child temperament

Emotional problems and peer victimization in adolescents born very preterm and full-term: Role of self-control skills in childhood

The aim of the current study was to examine whether self-control skills in childhood moderate the association between very preterm birth (<32 weeks of gestational age) and emotional problems and peer victimization in adolescence. We used data from four prospective cohort studies, which included 29,378 participants in total (N = 645 very preterm; N = 28,733 full-term). Self-control was mother-reported in childhood at 5-11 years whereas emotional problems and peer victimization were both self- and mother-reported at 12-17 years of age. Findings of individual participant data meta-analysis showed that self-control skills in childhood do not moderate the association between very preterm birth and adolescence emotional problems and peer victimization. It was shown that higher self-control skills in childhood predict lower emotional problems and peer victimization in adolescence similarly in very preterm and full-term borns.

[Preterm birth: a risk for mental health?]

One in 12 children is born before 37 completed weeks of gestation and during the last decades survival rates and developmental outcomes of even very premature children have significantly improved. As a result, mental health sequelae of preterm birth are more frequently addressed. The manifestation of a distinct psychopathological profile with co-occurrence of symptoms associated with attention deficit/hyperactivity, autism spectrum and anxiety disorders has been recognized and discussed as "preterm behavioral phenotype", mainly affecting high-risk children with very low birth weights. Current research findings on parental psychological distress and early childhood developmental conditions after preterm birth indicate contextual factors that are of relevance, also for clinicians in psychotherapeutic practice.

The Impact of Formal School Entry on Children's Social Relationships with Parents, Siblings, and Friends

The normative transition to formal schooling confronts children with social challenges but also opportunities. Longitudinal research on how school entry impacts children's family and friend-ship relationships is scarce. This study investigated social relationship qualities with parents, siblings, and friends among 1110 children (49.9% female) from the prospective, population-based Bavarian Longitudinal Study at 6 years (before school entry) and 8 years using a forced-choice card-sorting task. Multivariate analyses of variance revealed significant effects of age (i.e., school entry) on social relationship qualities with mothers (Pillai's Trace (PT) = 0.28, F(9, 1101) = 47.73, p < 0.001), fathers (PT = 0.14, F(9, 1101) = 19.47, p < 0.001), siblings (PT = 0.27, F(9, 1101) = 46.14, p < 0.001), and friends (PT = 0.21, F(9, 1101) = 32.57, p < 0.001). On average, children reported higher levels of parental comfort after school entry. Companionable qualities increased in relationships with friends, whereas sibling relationships became more conflictual from preschool to early school age. Findings provide unique insights into how social relationships develop from preschool to early school age, supporting evidence of the growing importance of friends. Conflict was predominant and increasing in sibling relationships and should be considered more in future research.