Self-reported mental health in adults born extremely preterm. A population based, cross-sectional study.

AIMS: The study aims to examine whether self-reported mental health outcomes among adults born extremely preterm differ from those of adults born at term.

METHODS

A population-based, cross-sectional study was conducted. The study included 48 eligible individuals born between 1982 and 1985 in western Norway with a gestational age ≤ 28 weeks or birth weight ≤ 1000 g, and 46 term-born controls. Mental health was assessed at age 34 years using the Adult Self-Report questionnaire. Data was analysed to compare outcomes between preterm and term-born controls.

RESULTS

At age 34 years, 32 (67 %) extremely preterm born and 36 (78 %) term-born participated. The extremely preterm group reported significantly higher scores than the term-born group on the mental health scales for anxious/depressed, withdrawn, somatic complaints, aggressive behaviour, internalizing, and total problems. The extremely preterm group had lower levels of education and employment, and higher rates of disability or unemployment.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings suggest an association between being born extremely preterm or with extremely low birth weight and poorer self-reported mental health in adulthood compared with term-born controls. Future research should investigate potential underlying causes of this relationship to improve understanding and develop preventive strategies.