Psychiatric Symptoms and Disorders in Extremely Preterm Young Adults at 19 Years of Age and Longitudinal Findings From Middle Childhood

Abstract

Since the 1980s, the long-term outcomes of extremely preterm birth (before 28 weeks of gestation) have garnered considerable interest as a result of significant improvements in neonatal care and the consequent increase in survival rates. Compared with birth at full term, extremely preterm birth places infants at increased risk for neurodevelopmental disorders, intellectual impairments, and psychiatric sequelae that persist throughout childhood and adolescence.¹ There is increasing interest in the longer-term outcomes for these babies; in particular, whether adverse outcomes persist or increase in adulthood or whether survivors can outgrow earlier problems.