Academic, social, and behavioral outcomes at age 12 of infants born preterm.

The effects of gradient levels of perinatal morbidity on school outcomes have been investigated at age 12 in four preterm groups, classified as healthy (no medical or neurological illness), medical morbidity, neurological morbidity, and small-for-gestational-age (SGA), and a full-term comparison group. Teachers report on academic competence, social skills, and problem behaviors. Data on school type, classroom setting, and school service use are gathered from school records.

Growth trajectories of preterm infants: birth to 12 years.

Introduction: Birth weight often is used to predict how preterm infants will grow, but scant attention has been paid to the effect of neonatal morbidities on growth trajectories. We investigated birth weight and neonatal morbidity in preterm infants' growth to age 12 years.

Method: A five-group, prospective, longitudinal study was conducted with 194 infants: 46 full term; 29 healthy preterm without morbidity; 56 preterm with medical illness (MPT); 34 preterm with neurologic illness; and 29 preterm small for gestational age (SGA).

Delayed cord clamping in very preterm infants reduces the incidence of intraventricular hemorrhage and late-onset sepsis: a randomized, controlled trial.

Objective: This study compared the effects of immediate (ICC) and delayed (DCC) cord clamping on very low birth weight (VLBW) infants on 2 primary variables: bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and suspected necrotizing enterocolitis (SNEC). Other outcome variables were late-onset sepsis (LOS) and intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH).

Study Design: This was a randomized, controlled unmasked trial in which women in labor with singleton fetuses <32 weeks' gestation were randomly assigned to ICC (cord clamped at 5-10 seconds) or DCC (30-45 seconds) groups.

Early precursors of low attention and hyperactivity in a preterm sample at age four.

The increased numbers of low birth weight (LBW) survivors has raised questions about the direct association between LBW and later diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in early childhood. A longitudinal data set was used to determine the relationship among perinatal morbidity and medical and neurological status during the toddler period (18 and 30 months) with lower attention and higher activity, cardinal features of ADHD at age 4. The sample of 39 full term and 149 preterm infants were recruited at birth.

Development of a theoretical construct for risk and vulnerability from six empirical studies.

The concepts of risk and vulnerability are frequently the subject of nursing scholarship but lack semantic and conceptual clarity in the nursing literature. Using empirical evidence from 6 research studies, the authors define the concepts of risk and vulnerability, apply shared definitions to each of the study populations, and discuss 3 types of responses to risk observed in the research setting. This collaborative effort by nursing scholars advances conceptual clarity of risk and vulnerability for the development of nursing knowledge.

Immediate and delayed cord clamping in infants born between 24 and 32 weeks: a pilot randomized controlled trial.

Objective: This pilot study's aim was to establish feasibility of a protocol for delayed cord clamping (DCC) versus immediate cord clamping (ICC) at preterm birth and to examine its effects on initial blood pressure and other outcomes.

Study Design: A randomized controlled trial recruited 32 infants between 24 and 32 weeks. Immediately before delivery, mothers were randomized to ICC (cord clamped at 5 to 10 seconds) or DCC (30- to 45-second delay in cord clamping) groups.

Testing proximal and distal protective processes in preterm high-risk children.

The purpose was to examine a model that incorporates cumulative medical risk at age 4 and distal and protective processes at age 8 to assess school-age competency outcomes of cognition, school achievement, and socioemotional well-being in a sample of preterm children born at various degrees of medical risk. Cumulative medical risk and distal protective and proximal maternal protective processes were constructed into indexes. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis were performed entering the cumulative medical risk index first, followed by distal and proximal protective processes in the next two steps to test the effect on cognitive, academic, and socioemotional competence.

Perinatal morbidity, mild motor delay, and later school outcomes.

Four dimensions of motor competence were evaluated in 4-year-old term and preterm children and were related to academic achievement and use of school services at age 8 years. The objective of the study was to evaluate a graduated 'stair-step' effect between perinatal morbidity, mild motor delay, and later school outcomes in 168 children (88 females, 80 males) stratified into four study groups: 134 healthy term infants > or = 37 weeks' gestation, birthweight > or = 2500g); 134 preterm infants < or = 37 weeks' gestation divided into healthy preterm (n=41), clinically ill preterms (n=59), and preterm infants with neurological illness (n=34). Significant differences were found in total, fine and gross motor performance, and visual-motor integration at age 4 years.