Register for email alerts and news feeds:
This journal | BMJ Group
rss
Archives of Disease in Childhood - Fetal and Neonatal Edition 2004;89:F445-F450; doi:10.1136/adc.2003.038943
Copyright © 2004 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd & Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.
Archives of Disease in Childhood Fetal and Neonatal Edition 2004;89:F445-F450
© 2004 Archives of Disease in Childhood Fetal and Neonatal Edition

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Psychiatric symptoms and disorders in adolescents with low birth weight

M S Indredavik1, T Vik2, S Heyerdahl3, S Kulseng4, P Fayers5 and A-M Brubakk4

1 Department of Neuroscience, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
2 Department of Community Medicine and General Practice, Norwegian University of Science and Technology
3 Regional Centre for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Oslo, Norway
4 Department of Laboratory Medicine, Children’s and Women’s Health, Norwegian University of Science and Technology
5 Unit for applied Clinical Research, Norwegian University of Science and Technology and Institute of Applied Health Sciences, University of Aberdeen, UK

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr Indredavik
Department of Neuroscience, Medisinsk teknisk forskningssenter, NO-7489 Trondheim, Norway; marit.s.indredavik{at}medisin.ntnu.no

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of psychiatric symptoms and disorders associated with low birth weight.

Design/study groups: A population based follow up study of 56 very low birthweight (VLBW: birth weight <= 1500 g), 60 term small for gestational age (SGA: birth weight < 10th centile), and 83 term control (birth weight >= 10th centile) children at 14 years of age.

Outcome measures: Schedule for affective disorders and schizophrenia for school aged children, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) rating scale IV, autism spectrum screening questionnaire, and children’s global assessment scale.

Results: VLBW adolescents had a higher prevalence of psychiatric symptoms (46%) than controls (13%) (odds ratio (OR) 5.7, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.5 to 13.0) and more psychiatric disorders (25%) than controls (7%) (OR 4.3, 95%CI 1.5 to 12.0), especially anxiety disorders. Although 25% of the VLBW adolescents had attention problems, ADHD was diagnosed in only 7%. Four VLBW adolescents had symptoms of Asperger’s disorder, and the VLBW group had a higher sum score than controls on the autism spectrum screening questionnaire. Although more SGA adolescents had psychiatric symptoms than controls (23% v 13%), the difference was not statistically significant. Results remained essentially the same when adolescents with low estimated intelligence quotient were excluded, and persisted after possible psychosocial confounders had been controlled for.

Conclusion: VLBW, but not SGA adolescents, have a high risk of developing psychiatric symptoms and disorders by the age of 14, especially attention deficit, anxiety symptoms, and relational problems.

Abbreviations: ADHD, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder; ASSQ, autism spectrum screening questionnaire; CGAS, children’s global assessment scale; DSM-IV, Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, fourth edition; IQest, estimate of intelligence quotient; SGA, small for gestational age; VLBW, very low birthweight

Keywords: mental health; psychiatric diagnosis; very low birth weight; small for gestational age; adolescent


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Luu, T. M., Ment, L. R., Schneider, K. C., Katz, K. H., Allan, W. C., Vohr, B. R. (2009). Lasting Effects of Preterm Birth and Neonatal Brain Hemorrhage at 12 Years of Age. Pediatrics 123: 1037-1044 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Lindstrom, K., Lindblad, F., Hjern, A. (2009). Psychiatric Morbidity in Adolescents and Young Adults Born Preterm: A Swedish National Cohort Study. Pediatrics 123: e47-e53 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Samara, M., Marlow, N., Wolke, D., for the EPICure Study Group, (2008). Pervasive Behavior Problems at 6 Years of Age in a Total-Population Sample of Children Born at <=25 Weeks of Gestation. Pediatrics 122: 562-573 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Moster, D., Lie, R. T., Markestad, T. (2008). Long-Term Medical and Social Consequences of Preterm Birth. NEJM 359: 262-273 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Indredavik, M. S., Vik, T., Skranes, J., Brubakk, A.-M. (2008). Positive Screening Results for Autism in Ex-preterm Infants. Pediatrics 122: 222-222 [Full Text]  
  • Kajantie, E., Hovi, P., Raikkonen, K., Pesonen, A.-K., Heinonen, K., Jarvenpaa, A.-L., Eriksson, J. G, Strang-Karlsson, S., Andersson, S. (2008). Young Adults With Very Low Birth Weight: Leaving the Parental Home and Sexual Relationships--Helsinki Study of Very Low Birth Weight Adults. Pediatrics 122: e62-e72 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Henriksen, C., Haugholt, K., Lindgren, M., Aurvag, A. K., Ronnestad, A., Gronn, M., Solberg, R., Moen, A., Nakstad, B., Berge, R. K., Smith, L., Iversen, P. O., Drevon, C. A. (2008). Improved Cognitive Development Among Preterm Infants Attributable to Early Supplementation of Human Milk With Docosahexaenoic Acid and Arachidonic Acid. Pediatrics 121: 1137-1145 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Schendel, D., Bhasin, T. K. (2008). Birth Weight and Gestational Age Characteristics of Children With Autism, Including a Comparison With Other Developmental Disabilities. Pediatrics 121: 1155-1164 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Skranes, J., Vangberg, T. R., Kulseng, S., Indredavik, M. S., Evensen, K. A. I., Martinussen, M., Dale, A. M., Haraldseth, O., Brubakk, A.-M. (2007). Clinical findings and white matter abnormalities seen on diffusion tensor imaging in adolescents with very low birth weight. Brain 130: 654-666 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Nomura, Y., Chemtob, C. M. (2007). Conjoined Effects of Low Birth Weight and Childhood Abuse on Adaptation and Well-being in Adolescence and Adulthood. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 161: 186-192 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Evensen, K A I, Vik, T, Helbostad, J, Indredavik, M S, Kulseng, S, Brubakk, A-M (2004). Motor skills in adolescents with low birth weight. Arch. Dis. Child. Fetal Neonatal Ed. 89: F451-F455 [Abstract] [Full Text]  

eLetters:

Read all eLetters

Psychiatric disorders and SGA adolescents
Peter JFM Merkus
Fetal Neonatal Ed. Online, 14 Feb 2005 [Full text]

This Article

Services
Citing Articles
Google Scholar
PubMed
Topic Collections
Bookmark with

Register for free content

The full back archive is now available for all BMJ Journals. Institutional subscribers may access the entire archive as part of their subscription. Personal subscribers will also have access to all content when logged in. Non-subscribers who register have free access to all articles published before 2006 right back to volume 1 issue 1. Register here to access the free archive of all BMJ Journals.

Don't forget to sign up for content alerts so you keep up to date with all the articles as they are published.

Latest from ADC

 

ADC is co-owned by the RCPCH and is the official journal of the European Academy of Paediatrics

BMJ Careers - Latest Paediatrics and Paediatric Surgery Jobs

Paediatrics and Paediatric Surgery Jobs