Preterm birth which comprises about 10% of births globally has significant short and long term implications for the child, its parents and the wider family. It poses a significant physical and mental health as well as economic burden on society.
While the physical health complications of preterm birth are reasonably well documented in the literature, the data in terms of psychological impacts is still quite thin, especially for the long term.
Indeed, preterm birth and the precocious hospitalization in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) might be highly distressful for both infants and parents. Different sources of stress (e.g., lights and sounds, parental separation, invasive and painful procedures) have been described and their impact on preterm infants’ socio-emotional and socio-cognitive development as well as for parental well-being and adaptation deserve further investigations. The psychological implications of early interventions – during and after NICU stay – are also noteworthy and accumulation of data in this field is highly needed. The quality of parent-child interaction, from the immediate NICU admission to the first years of life is also a topic that merits investigation, as it is one of the most critical source of protection for the developmental trajectories of preterm infants.
The key issues that we would like covered within this Research Topic Collection are:
1. Medium and long term psychological implications of preterm birth on the child including incidence and prevalence data, major conditions and their impact and outcomes.
2. Short, medium and long term impact on parents, their mental health and wellbeing
3. Short, medium and long term impact on the wider family e.g. siblings
4. Impact on bonding and relationships
5. Interventions helpful in prevention or mitigation of above risks
6. Relevant economic evaluations
7. Recent advances in our understanding, diagnosis and treatment of psychological implications of preterm birth
8. Psychobiological and neuroimaging correlates of psychological implications of preterm birth
The above list is not all exhaustive and we welcome submissions covering any relevant aspect of preterm birth and psychological impact involving the child, parents and wider family.
Preterm birth which comprises about 10% of births globally has significant short and long term implications for the child, its parents and the wider family. It poses a significant physical and mental health as well as economic burden on society.
While the physical health complications of preterm birth are reasonably well documented in the literature, the data in terms of psychological impacts is still quite thin, especially for the long term.
Indeed, preterm birth and the precocious hospitalization in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) might be highly distressful for both infants and parents. Different sources of stress (e.g., lights and sounds, parental separation, invasive and painful procedures) have been described and their impact on preterm infants’ socio-emotional and socio-cognitive development as well as for parental well-being and adaptation deserve further investigations. The psychological implications of early interventions – during and after NICU stay – are also noteworthy and accumulation of data in this field is highly needed. The quality of parent-child interaction, from the immediate NICU admission to the first years of life is also a topic that merits investigation, as it is one of the most critical source of protection for the developmental trajectories of preterm infants.
The key issues that we would like covered within this Research Topic Collection are:
1. Medium and long term psychological implications of preterm birth on the child including incidence and prevalence data, major conditions and their impact and outcomes.
2. Short, medium and long term impact on parents, their mental health and wellbeing
3. Short, medium and long term impact on the wider family e.g. siblings
4. Impact on bonding and relationships
5. Interventions helpful in prevention or mitigation of above risks
6. Relevant economic evaluations
7. Recent advances in our understanding, diagnosis and treatment of psychological implications of preterm birth
8. Psychobiological and neuroimaging correlates of psychological implications of preterm birth
The above list is not all exhaustive and we welcome submissions covering any relevant aspect of preterm birth and psychological impact involving the child, parents and wider family.
