Social-emotional and behavioural issues after very preterm birth: Parental and teachers experiences

Abstract

Preterm infants are at risk of developing social-emotional and behavioural difficulties. To understand the experiences of their caregivers in day-to-day life, parents (at 2 and 10 years) and teachers (at 10 years) completed a behavioural questionnaire and answered two open-ended questions addressing their concerns and the most positive aspects regarding their child and/or pupil (born <32 weeks gestation). Their answers were analyzed using thematic content analysis. Parental concerns at two years related equally to themes in the clusters Developmental Milestones, Physical Development and Development in Relation to the Self and Others. At 10 years, both parents and teachers reported mainly within the cluster Development in Relation to the Self and Others, but the underlying themes differed. While parents more often mentioned their child’s emotional development, teachers were more concerned about their pupils’ difficulties interacting with their peers, due to a lack of social skills. In-depth qualitative analysis of what parents and teachers experience from day-to-day improves our understanding of the social-emotional and behavioural development of children born very preterm, revealing important topics that should be addressed during follow-up.