Evolution of psychomotor development in pre-school children born prematurely

Introducción: En las últimas décadas, el nacimiento de niños prematuros se ha incrementado notablemente, siendo importante conocer sus efectos. El objetivo del estudio es determinar el perfil de desarrollo psicomotor de niños con antecedentes de prematuridad, a los 4, 5 y 6 años, y compararlos con un grupo de niños nacidos a término para detectar posibles desajustes. Pacientes y métodos: La muestra estaba constituida por 98 participantes, distribuidos uniformemente en 2 grupos, prematuros y a término. Se realizó un estudio de cohorte prospectivo longitudinal analítico observacional con un diseño de casos y controles. Se ha considerado la división del grupo prematuro en muy prematuros y prematuros moderados y tardíos. Las evaluaciones se realizaron con las Escalas McCarthy de Aptitudes y Psicomotricidad para niños. Resultados: Los datos muestran logros dentro de los intervalos medios. No obstante, se evidencian más dificultades en el desarrollo a los 4 años en el grupo de prematuros. Atendiendo a la edad gestacional, los muy prematuros (edad gestacional menor de 32 semanas) muestran puntuaciones significativamente más bajas con respecto a los prematuros moderados y tardíos, fundamentalmente a los 6 años, y con los nacidos a término, a los 4 y 6 años. Conclusiones: A menor edad gestacional, son mayores las dificultades, pudiendo afectar en la etapa de Educación Primaria. Se considera la necesidad de efectuar un seguimiento a todos los prematuros en la etapa preescolar, así como evaluar habilidades más específicas y continuar con la atención desde equipos especializados.Introduction: The rate of premature births has significantly increased, and it is important to determine its effects. The objective of this study is to determine the psychomotor development profile of a group of children born prematurely, at the age of 4, 5 and 6, and to compare them with a group of full-term birth children, in order to detect any differences. Patients and methods: The sample consisted of 98 participants, evenly distributed into two groups, premature and full-term born children. A prospective longitudinal observational analytical study, with a design of cases and controls, was carried out. For some analyses, the separation into early pre-term, moderate pre-term, and late pre-term was considered. The evaluations were performed using the McCarthy Scale of Aptitudes and Psychomotor skills for children. Results: The data shows achievements within the middle intervals. However, there are more difficulties in development at 4 years in the group of premature children, according to gestational age. Early pre-term (gestational age less than 32 weeks) showed significantly lower scores compared to moderate and late pre-term, mainly at 6 years, and with those born at term, at 4 and 6 years. Conclusions: Development difficulties are greater at a lower gestational age, and may affect the Primary Education stage. The need to monitor all premature children in the preschool stage is suggested, as well as to evaluate more specific skills and continue with the care from specialist teams.Consejería de Salud. Junta de Andalucía PI-0397/200

Psycho-emotional intervention with parents of very preterm babies during the first year: A single-arm pilot study

Studies of intervention programs that aim to improve the emotional state of parents of children admitted to the neonatal intensive care units (NICU) are scarce in Spain. The aims of this single-arm pilot study are to get to know the emotional profile of parents of high-risk preterm newborns, and to explore parents' patterns of emotional well-being before and after a psychological program called the Parental Empowerment Program, to increase parental readiness levels. The sample was made up of 100 parents (50 couples) who participated in the program. Measurements were taken of post-traumatic stress, depression, and resilience at 1 month and 12 months. Repeated measurements and dyadic data analyses were performed. One month after the birth of the baby and prior to the start of the program, mothers show more symptoms of stress and depression than fathers. After the intervention, both parents experienced improvements in their mood levels. The evidence obtained seems to show that high resilience levels and low post-traumatic stress symptoms are associated with reduced depression levels after implementing the program. However, the heterogeneity of the responses obtained, the observed associations between stress, resilience, and maternal depression, along with the reciprocal influence between maternal and paternal depression 1 year after the intervention, highlight the need for a more in-depth exploration of the interplay between risk and protective factors in this population. Despite the identified potential threats to validity, further work in this direction is recommended, including the implementation of clinical trials to demonstrate intervention efficacy. The adaptation of the parents' mutual emotional adjustment at each stage would allow them to participate more actively in the baby's care.Junta de Andalucía PI-029-2013Junta de Andalucía US-1263096Gobierno de Chile 1190945Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación PID2020-115486GB-I0

Infancia y aprendizaje

Resumen basado en el de la publicaciónLos déficits menores y las secuelas conductuales en los niños con riesgo de discapacidad pueden producir limitaciones y condicionar el rendimiento escolar a medio y largo plazo. Se evalúan 95 niños de 3 años, distribuidos en tres grupos: de riesgo con apoyo a padres (G1); de riesgo con tratamiento estándar (G2); y de iguales sin riesgo (G3). Se pretende analizar las diferencias en desarrollo y comportamiento, tras realizarles un examen neurológico. Los tres grupos presentan un nivel de desarrollo dentro de la normalidad, aunque los grupos de riesgo obtienen puntuaciones más bajas. Los datos de comportamiento no muestran la existencia de problemas importantes, aunque se observan diferencias entre G2 y G3 en problemas de atención. La intervención con los padres ha podido influir positivamente en la capacidad de adaptación e interacción de sus hijos.MadridBiblioteca de Educación del Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte; Calle San Agustín, 5 - 3 planta; 28014 Madrid; Tel. +34917748000; [email protected]