Children born prematurely are subject to a range of psychosocial risks in addition to the biological risks associated with their early birth. The effects of prematurity on the family unit and the attitudes of parents toward their child are significant factors that may influence development. The present study aims to evaluate the emotional and behavioural problems, as well as the social adjustment difficulties, of children born prematurely in early childhood. In addition, it examines the role of child emotion regulation skills, together with family-specific and child-specific variables that may affect these skills.
The mediating role of child emotion regulation in the relationship between social adjustment difficulties, emotional and behavioural problems, and family- and child-specific mechanisms was tested using structural equation modelling. The sample comprised 97 prematurely born children and their parents. A risk model was developed that included factors affecting emotional and behavioural problems and social adjustment difficulties of premature children.
Findings indicated that maternal emotion regulation difficulties predicted child emotion regulation difficulties via maternal negative emotion socialisation styles. These maternal socialisation styles, in turn, predicted child social adjustment difficulties and emotional and behavioural problems through child emotion dysregulation. Moreover, maternal postpartum depression symptoms predicted maternal dysregulation difficulties and child dysregulation difficulties via current maternal depression symptoms. The study also demonstrated moderating effects of children's reactive temperament traits and current maternal depression symptoms within this model.
It is suggested that this model provides a framework for identifying intervention points for addressing early childhood emotional and behavioural problems and social adjustment difficulties in preterm infants.