Changes in Social Relationships from 26 to 34 years of Age in Adults Born Very Preterm

Overview

Journal Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol

Specialties Gynecology & Obstetrics
Pediatrics
Public Health

Date 2024 Oct 28

PMID 39463001

Authors

Elif Gonen

E Sabrina Twilhaar

Nicole Baumann

Barbara Busch

Peter Bartmann

Dieter Wolke

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Very preterm and/or very low birthweight (VP/VLBW; <32 weeks' gestation and/or <1500 g birthweight) individuals rated their partner and peer relationships lower than term-born individuals in emerging adulthood, but their quality of relationships with parents has been rarely investigated. Moreover, it is unclear whether previously reported differences in social relationship characteristics persist or lessen from emerging to established adulthood.

Objectives: To investigate changes in social relationship characteristics in VP/VLBW adults compared to term-born adults from 26 to 34 years and whether the association between VP/VLBW and social relationship characteristics varies according to sex.

Methods: In this prospective whole-population birth cohort study in South Bavaria, Germany, social relationship characteristics with parents, partners and peers, and overall social relationships across these domains were evaluated with a Life Course Interview at 26 and 34 years. Interview items related to these domains were extracted and scored as 0 (optimal) and 1 (non-optimal). Each score was summed into domain-specific composite scores and standardised according to the total sample.

Results: Participants included 262 VP/VLBW (52.7% males) and 230 term-born individuals (47.0% males). VP/VLBW adults had lower overall social relationship scores than term-born adults (β = -.61, 95% CI -0.85, -0.37). Specifically, partner (β = -.50, 95% CI-0.74, -0.27) and peer relationship scores (β = -.55, 95% CI-0.78, -0.32) were lower than those of term-born adults, but scores did not differ for parent relationships. On average, partner (β = .25, 95% CI 0.14, 0.35) and peer relationship scores increased (β = .16, 95% CI 0.03, 0.29), while parent relationship scores decreased (β = -.64, 95% CI-0.79, -0.49) from 26 to 34 years. These changes were similar for VP/VLBW and term-born individuals.

Conclusions: Patterns of change for the improved partner and peer but worsening parental social relationship scores were common across VP/VLBW and term-born adults, but differences between the two groups persisted from 26 to 34 years.

Citing Articles

Addressing the Persistent Social Challenges of Very Preterm Birth.

Mendonca M Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol. 2024; 39(1):27-29.

PMID: 39659144 PMC: 11781508. DOI: 10.1111/ppe.13152.

Changes in social relationships from 26 to 34 years of age in adults born very preterm.

Gonen E, Twilhaar E, Baumann N, Busch B, Bartmann P, Wolke D Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol. 2024; 39(1):15-26.

PMID: 39463001 PMC: 11781515. DOI: 10.1111/ppe.13133.

References

Bilgin A, Mendonca M, Wolke D . Preterm Birth/Low Birth Weight and Markers Reflective of Wealth in Adulthood: A Meta-analysis. Pediatrics. 2018; 142(1). DOI: 10.1542/peds.2017-3625. View

Harris M, Orth U . The link between self-esteem and social relationships: A meta-analysis of longitudinal studies. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2019; 119(6):1459-1477. DOI: 10.1037/pspp0000265. View

Carstensen L, Hershfield H . Beyond stereotypes: Using socioemotional selectivity theory to improve messaging to older adults. Curr Dir Psychol Sci. 2021; 30(4):327-334. PMC: 8340497. DOI: 10.1177/09637214211011468. View

Schmidt L, Miskovic V, Boyle M, Saigal S . Shyness and timidity in young adults who were born at extremely low birth weight. Pediatrics. 2008; 122(1):e181-7. DOI: 10.1542/peds.2007-3747. View

Kelly C, Shaul M, Thompson D, Mainzer R, Yang J, Dhollander T . Long-lasting effects of very preterm birth on brain structure in adulthood: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2023; 147:105082. DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105082. View

Bourassa K, Caspi A, Harrington H, Houts R, Poulton R, Ramrakha S . Intimate partner violence and lower relationship quality are associated with faster biological aging. Psychol Aging. 2020; 35(8):1127-1139. PMC: 7712579. DOI: 10.1037/pag0000581. View

Wolke D, Meyer R . Cognitive status, language attainment, and prereading skills of 6-year-old very preterm children and their peers: the Bavarian Longitudinal Study. Dev Med Child Neurol. 1999; 41(2):94-109. DOI: 10.1017/s0012162299000201. View

Linsell L, Johnson S, Wolke D, OReilly H, Morris J, Kurinczuk J . Cognitive trajectories from infancy to early adulthood following birth before 26 weeks of gestation: a prospective, population-based cohort study. Arch Dis Child. 2017; 103(4):363-370. PMC: 5890637. DOI: 10.1136/archdischild-2017-313414. View

Holt-Lunstad J, Smith T, Layton J . Social relationships and mortality risk: a meta-analytic review. PLoS Med. 2010; 7(7):e1000316. PMC: 2910600. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1000316. View

10.

Collins W, Welsh D, Furman W . Adolescent romantic relationships. Annu Rev Psychol. 2008; 60:631-52. DOI: 10.1146/annurev.psych.60.110707.163459. View

11.

Petrazzini B, Naya H, Lopez-Bello F, Vazquez G, Spangenberg L . Evaluation of different approaches for missing data imputation on features associated to genomic data. BioData Min. 2021; 14(1):44. PMC: 8414708. DOI: 10.1186/s13040-021-00274-7. View

12.

Twisk J, de Boer M, de Vente W, Heymans M . Multiple imputation of missing values was not necessary before performing a longitudinal mixed-model analysis. J Clin Epidemiol. 2013; 66(9):1022-8. DOI: 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2013.03.017. View

13.

Volpe J . Brain injury in premature infants: a complex amalgam of destructive and developmental disturbances. Lancet Neurol. 2008; 8(1):110-24. PMC: 2707149. DOI: 10.1016/S1474-4422(08)70294-1. View

14.

Inder T, Volpe J, Anderson P . Defining the Neurologic Consequences of Preterm Birth. N Engl J Med. 2023; 389(5):441-453. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMra2303347. View

15.

Healy E, Reichenberg A, Nam K, Allin M, Walshe M, Rifkin L . Preterm birth and adolescent social functioning-alterations in emotion-processing brain areas. J Pediatr. 2013; 163(6):1596-604. DOI: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2013.08.011. View

16.

Breeman L, Jaekel J, Baumann N, Bartmann P, Wolke D . Neonatal predictors of cognitive ability in adults born very preterm: a prospective cohort study. Dev Med Child Neurol. 2017; 59(5):477-483. DOI: 10.1111/dmcn.13380. View

17.

Baumann N, Bartmann P, Wolke D . Health-Related Quality of Life Into Adulthood After Very Preterm Birth. Pediatrics. 2016; 137(4). DOI: 10.1542/peds.2015-3148. View

18.

Day K, Schmidt L, Vaillancourt T, Saigal S, Boyle M, Van Lieshout R . Overprotective Parenting and Peer Victimization in Extremely Low Birth Weight Survivors. J Child Fam Stud. 2018; 27(3):907-915. PMC: 5978776. DOI: 10.1007/s10826-017-0922-2. View

19.

Linsell L, Johnson S, Wolke D, Morris J, Kurinczuk J, Marlow N . Trajectories of behavior, attention, social and emotional problems from childhood to early adulthood following extremely preterm birth: a prospective cohort study. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2018; 28(4):531-542. PMC: 6445809. DOI: 10.1007/s00787-018-1219-8. View

20.

Ni Y, Mendonca M, Baumann N, Eves R, Kajantie E, Hovi P . Social Functioning in Adults Born Very Preterm: Individual Participant Meta-analysis. Pediatrics. 2021; 148(5). DOI: 10.1542/peds.2021-051986. View