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 These young adults are also less likely to consider themselves sexy.
And, more of them have never moved out of their childhood home.
"Previous studies have found that individuals born preterm might be
more cautious and less risk-taking than those born at full term,
which might also be reflected in our findings of lower likelihood of
romantic relations," said lead study author Dr. Tuija Mannisto, a
researcher and fellow in clinical chemistry with the National
Institute for Health and Welfare and the Northern Finland Laboratory
Centre Nordlab in Oulu, Finland, in email to Reuters Health.
Pregnancy normally lasts about 40 weeks, and babies born after 37
weeks are considered full term. In the weeks immediately after
birth, preemies often have difficulty breathing and digesting food.
Some premature infants also encounter longer term challenges such as
impaired vision, hearing, and cognitive skills as well as social and
behavioral problems.
To examine the romantic prospects of preemies later in life, the
researchers reviewed questionnaires completed by people born in
Finland between 1985 and 1989. The average age of the study
participants was about 23 years.
Overall, 149 participants had been born early preterm (less than 34
weeks gestation), 248 were born late preterm (between 34 and 37
weeks), and 356 were born at full term.
Compared to individuals who were full-term, those born late preterm
were 20 percent less likely to have ever lived with a romantic
partner and 24 percent less likely to have ever had sex.
The findings were similar for people born early term, though after
taking other variables into account, the difference wasn't
statistically significant.
The researchers also saw that fewer of those born early had ever
moved out of their parents’ house, but that difference too was no
longer statistically significant after adjusting for other factors.
Asked to rate their sexual attractiveness on a scale of zero to 10,
preemies on average gave themselves a lower score. With 10 being the
sexiest, full-term participants rated themselves a 6.9 on average,
compared with 6.5 for late preterm individuals and 6.2 for early
preterm.
The findings show that social outcomes related to preterm birth
aren't limited to those with the most severe prematurity, and, in
fact, extend to many people born even just a week a two early, the
researchers note in their report in the journal Pediatrics.
While the results may have some relevance outside of Finland, babies
born there have many advantages not as widely available elsewhere.
For example, Finland has few children living in poverty and offers
generous parental leave and allowances for childcare, all factors
that can contribute to better outcomes for preterm infants.
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"At the end of the day, one of the best predictors of outcomes is
maternal income and education and socioeconomic status," said Dr.
Kristi Watterberg, a neonatologist at the University of New Mexico
who wasn't involved in the study.
A preemie born to a mother living in poverty in the U.S. who works
multiple jobs and has no access to affordable child care is probably
going to fare worse than a baby born with more advantages in
Finland, she told Reuters Health.
Still, there are several things parents can do to improve prospects
for their preemie, said Watterberg, who also chairs the American
Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Fetus and Newborn.
In the weeks immediately after birth, preemies can benefit from skin
to skin contact, breastfeeding, and being touched in a gentle,
soothing way that doesn't overstimulate them, she said. Cooing, and
mimicking their sounds and actions also helps these babies engage
with the world around them and build social skills.
Watterberg also cautioned that the Finnish study findings may not
necessarily mean that preemies grow up to be unhappy adults.
"What we have seen with kids is that babies who are born preterm
tend to be more risk averse and shy and more fearful," Watterberg
said. "But on the other hand, we have seen that these kids tend to
grow up and develop a good life, a life the kids and their parents
are happy with."
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/1kCYrQ1
Pediatrics, online January 26, 2015.
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