The temperament of preterm infant in preschool age

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The study deals with the characteristics of temperament of preterm infants during their preschool age in order to not only investigate likely "difficult or problematic profiles", guided by impairments driven by their preter...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Morales M Regina, Perricone Giovanna
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2011-01-01
Series:Italian Journal of Pediatrics
Online Access:http://www.ijponline.net/content/37/1/4
_version_ 1828259506066292736
author Morales M Regina
Perricone Giovanna
author_facet Morales M Regina
Perricone Giovanna
author_sort Morales M Regina
collection DOAJ
description <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The study deals with the characteristics of temperament of preterm infants during their preschool age in order to not only investigate likely "difficult or problematic profiles", guided by impairments driven by their preterm birth, but also to provide guidelines for the activation of interventions of prevention, functional to improve the quality of preterm infant's life.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The study involved a group of 105 children where 50 preterm children at the average age of 5 years and 2 months, enrolled in preschools of Palermo. The research planned the child reference teachers to be administered a specific questionnaire, the QUIT, made up of 60 items investigating six specific typical dimensions of temperament (<it>Motor control activity </it>- related to the ability of practicing motor control activity; <it>Attention </it>- related to the ability of guiding and keeping the focus of attention on a certain stimulus; <it>Inhibition to novelty </it>- regarding with emotional reactivity in front of environmental stimuli; <it>Social orientation </it>- meant in terms of attention and interest towards social stimuli; <it>Positive and negative emotionality </it>- regarding the tendency to mainly express positive or negative emotions.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The results show in general how preschool-aged preterm infants, identified by such a study, compared with full-term children, are characterized by "normal" temperament based on a strong inclination and orientation in mainly expressing positive feelings. Yet, an impairment of the areas most relating to attention and motor control activity seems to emerge.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The data suggest specific interventions for preterm infant development and their reference systems and, at the same time, can guide paediatrician and neonatologist dealing with preterm infants, in focalizing and monitoring, even since health status assessments, specific areas of development that, since preschool age, can highlight the presence of real forerunners of maladjustments and likely configurations of cognitive, emotional or behaviour disadaptive functioning.</p>
first_indexed 2024-04-13T03:09:59Z
format Article
id doaj.art-b2b1bacf7e0f4bddb9e99735b222cf6e
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 1720-8424
1824-7288
language English
last_indexed 2024-04-13T03:09:59Z
publishDate 2011-01-01
publisher BMC
record_format Article
series Italian Journal of Pediatrics
spelling doaj.art-b2b1bacf7e0f4bddb9e99735b222cf6e2022-12-22T03:05:06ZengBMCItalian Journal of Pediatrics1720-84241824-72882011-01-01371410.1186/1824-7288-37-4The temperament of preterm infant in preschool ageMorales M ReginaPerricone Giovanna<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The study deals with the characteristics of temperament of preterm infants during their preschool age in order to not only investigate likely "difficult or problematic profiles", guided by impairments driven by their preterm birth, but also to provide guidelines for the activation of interventions of prevention, functional to improve the quality of preterm infant's life.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The study involved a group of 105 children where 50 preterm children at the average age of 5 years and 2 months, enrolled in preschools of Palermo. The research planned the child reference teachers to be administered a specific questionnaire, the QUIT, made up of 60 items investigating six specific typical dimensions of temperament (<it>Motor control activity </it>- related to the ability of practicing motor control activity; <it>Attention </it>- related to the ability of guiding and keeping the focus of attention on a certain stimulus; <it>Inhibition to novelty </it>- regarding with emotional reactivity in front of environmental stimuli; <it>Social orientation </it>- meant in terms of attention and interest towards social stimuli; <it>Positive and negative emotionality </it>- regarding the tendency to mainly express positive or negative emotions.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The results show in general how preschool-aged preterm infants, identified by such a study, compared with full-term children, are characterized by "normal" temperament based on a strong inclination and orientation in mainly expressing positive feelings. Yet, an impairment of the areas most relating to attention and motor control activity seems to emerge.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The data suggest specific interventions for preterm infant development and their reference systems and, at the same time, can guide paediatrician and neonatologist dealing with preterm infants, in focalizing and monitoring, even since health status assessments, specific areas of development that, since preschool age, can highlight the presence of real forerunners of maladjustments and likely configurations of cognitive, emotional or behaviour disadaptive functioning.</p>http://www.ijponline.net/content/37/1/4
spellingShingle Morales M Regina
Perricone Giovanna
The temperament of preterm infant in preschool age
Italian Journal of Pediatrics
title The temperament of preterm infant in preschool age
title_full The temperament of preterm infant in preschool age
title_fullStr The temperament of preterm infant in preschool age
title_full_unstemmed The temperament of preterm infant in preschool age
title_short The temperament of preterm infant in preschool age
title_sort temperament of preterm infant in preschool age
url http://www.ijponline.net/content/37/1/4
work_keys_str_mv AT moralesmregina thetemperamentofpreterminfantinpreschoolage
AT perriconegiovanna thetemperamentofpreterminfantinpreschoolage
AT moralesmregina temperamentofpreterminfantinpreschoolage
AT perriconegiovanna temperamentofpreterminfantinpreschoolage