Long-term follow-up of mental health, health-related quality of life and associations with motor skills in young adults born preterm with very low birth weight
Husby, Ingrid Marie; Stray, Kaia; Olsen, Alexander; Lydersen, Stian; Indredavik, Marit Sæbø; Brubakk, Ann-Mari; Skranes, Jon Sverre; Evensen, Kari Anne Indredavik
Journal article, Peer reviewed

Åpne
Permanent lenke
http://hdl.handle.net/11250/2395145Utgivelsesdato
2016Metadata
Vis full innførselSamlinger
- Institutt for klinisk og molekylær medisin [3691]
- Institutt for psykologi [3262]
- Institutt for samfunnsmedisin og sykepleie [3913]
- Institutt for sirkulasjon og bildediagnostikk [2010]
- Publikasjoner fra CRIStin - NTNU [40022]
- Regionalt kunnskapssenter for barn og unge - Psykisk helse og barnevern [321]
Sammendrag
Background: Being born with very low birth weight(VLBW:≤1500 g) is related to long-term disability and
neurodevelopmental problems, possibly affecting mental health and health-related quality of life (HRQoL).
However, studies in young adulthood yield mixed findings. The aim of this study was to examine mental
health and HRQoL at 23 years, including changes from20 to 23 years and associations with motor skills in
VLBW young adults compared with controls.
Methods: In a geographically based follow-up study, 35 VLBW and 37 term-born young adults were assessed at
23 years by using Achenbach Adult Self-Report (ASR), Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36), Beck Depression Inventory
(BDI) and various motor tests. The ASR and SF-36 were also used at 20 years. Longitudinal changes in ASR and
SF-36 from 20 to 23 years were analysed by linear mixed models and associations with motor skills at 23 years by
linear regression.
Results: At 23 years, total ASR score was 38.6 (SD: 21.7) in the VLBW group compared with 29.0 (SD: 18.6) in the control
group (p= 0.048). VLBW participants had higher scores for attention problems, internalizing problems and critical items,
and they reported to drink less alcohol than controls. BDI total score did not differ between groups. On SF-36, VLBW
participants reported significantly poorer physical and social functioning, more role-limitations due to physical and
emotional problems, more bodily pain and lower physical and mental component summaries than controls. In the
VLBW group, total ASR score increased by 9.0 (95 % CI: 3.3 to 14.7) points from 20 to 23 years (p=0.009vscontrols),
physical and mental component summaries of SF-36 decreased by 2.9 (95 % CI: -4.8 to -1.1) and 4.4 (95 % CI: -7.1 to
-1.7) points, respectively (p= 0.012 andp= 0.022 vs controls). Among VLBW participants, more mental health problems
and lower physical and mental HRQoL were associated with poorer motor skills at 23 years.
Conclusions: VLBW young adults reported poorer and declining mental health and HRQoL in the transitional phase
into adulthood. They seemed to have a cautious lifestyle with more internalizing problems and less alcohol use. The
associations of mental health problems and HRQoL with motor skills are likely to reflect a shared aetiology.