Abstract
This prospective longitudinal study compared the psychological development and patterns of attachment of 20 prematurely born children and 20 full-term children at 7 years of age. The School-age Assessment of Attachment (SAA) was used, and hypotheses and interpretation of the findings were drawn from the Dynamic-Maturational Model of Attachment and Adaptation (DMM). Significant differences between prematurely born and full-term children were found: 10% versus 0% at "high" risk, 55% versus 25% at "moderate" risk, and 35% versus 75% at "low" risk. There were no differences in the percentage of psychological trauma between samples, but there was a difference in the types of experiences leading to trauma. For prematurely born children, it was most often illness, whereas for full-term children, it was family problems. We discuss the implications for clinicians.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 381-394 |
Number of pages | 14 |
Journal | Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry |
Volume | 20 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Jul 11 2015 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Attachment
- perinatal problem
- prematurely born children
- psychological risk
- school age
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Psychiatry and Mental health
- Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health
- Clinical Psychology
- Medicine(all)