Mental development trajectories of a group of preterm babies from 1 to 30 months of age
Introduction. This research falls within the category of longitudinal studies assessing the evolution of prematurely born infants with the use of standardized tests.
Aims. To analyze the trajectory of the mental development of a group of premature infants and to identify if gestational age is a significant predictor of their evolution.
Subjects and methods. 359 prematurely born infants were assessed at three stages of their development (between 1-9 months, 10-18 months and 19-30 months of age), using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development. To analyze the trajectory of the sample mental development, a linear mixed model procedure was applied.
Results. The trajectories of the mental development of these children conform to a model of the quadratic development curve. The results show that gestational age is a significant predictor of the initial score that explains 34% of the total interindividual variability.
Conclusions. Children with lowest initial scores are those who most increase them with age, an important fact for the prediction of premature newborns future development. This fact should be taken into account regarding negative prognoses in the first year of life.
Key words. Bayley Scales. Development curves. Extremely preterm. Gestational age. Late preterm. Mental development. Moderate preterm. Very preterm.
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