Table 4 The frequency of mental health problems (CIMHS) in children born preterm (<37 weeks), low birth weight (<2500 g) and low Apgar score (<10 scores at 5 min) reference group children without mental health problems (N = 2973)
From: A new measure for infant mental health screening: development and initial validation
Preterm | p-value | Low birth weight | p-value | Low Apgar score | p-value | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
% (n) | % (n) | % (n) | |||||
Sleep regulation | Stable sleeping pattern | 7.4 (12) | 0.23 | 3.7 (5) | 0.40 | 5.5 (9) | 0.93 |
Falling asleep time | 1.8 (3) | 0.60 | 1.5 (2) | 0.43 | 0.6 (1) | 0.11 | |
Interrupted sleep | 1.2 (2) | 0.05* | 2.2 (3) | 0.25 | 1.8 (3) | 0.12 | |
Any sleeping problem (≥1 problem) | 7.9 (14) | 0.58 | 4.7 (7) | 0.06 | 6.6 (11) | 0.15 | |
Eating | Appetite regulation | 5.5 (9) | 0.57 | 8.2 (11) | 0.44 | 5.5 (9) | 0.54 |
Eats too little | 6.1 (10) | 0.07 | 9.6 (13) | 0.84 | 6.1 (10) | 0.07 | |
Refusal to eat | 5.5 (9) | 0.06 | 6.0 (8) | 0.13 | 19.9 (18) | 0.59 | |
Vomiting without otherwise being ill | 5.5 (9) | 0.07 | 6.0 (8) | 0.05* | 2.4 (4) | 0.60 | |
Any eating problem (≥1 problem) | 16.3 (29) | 0.45 | 20.7 (28) | 0.87 | 18.7 (31) | 0.62 | |
Emotional regulation | Generally happy and satisfied | 2.4 (4) | 0.08 | 0.7 (1) | 0.72 | 1.2 (2) | 0.80 |
Often irritable, fussy, dissatisfied | 18.9 (31) | 0.04* | 14.9 (20) | 0.64 | 14.5 (24) | 0.73 | |
Cries often | 1.2 (2) | 0.67 | 1.5 (2) | 0.91 | 1.2 (2) | 0.67 | |
Emotionally blunted | 0.0 (0) | 0.41 | 0.0 (0) | 0.46 | 0.6 (1) | 0.64 | |
Any emotional problem (≥1 problem) | 18.5 (33) | 0.03* | 15.6 (21) | 0.70 | 15.1 (25) | 0.81 | |
Curiosity and interest Attention | Curiosity, exploring | 0.0 (0) | 0.80 | 0.0 (0) | 0.75 | 0.0 (0) | 0.73 |
Is able to focus | 1.2 (2) | 0.95 | 1.5 (2) | 0.71 | 1.8 (3) | 0.42 | |
Maintain concentration | 3.1 (5) | 0.66 | 3.0 (4) | 0.74 | 3.0 (5) | 0.67 | |
Easily distracted | 16.8 (27) | 0.56 | 12.2 (16) | 0.34 | 13.8 (22) | 0.61 | |
Any attention problem (≥1 problem) | 15.7 (28) | 0.73 | 11.9 (16) | 0.16 | 14.5 (24) | 0.51 | |
Motor activity | Generally increased level of activity | 4.2 (7) | 0.40 | 4.5 (6) | 0.54 | 4.3 (7) | 0.42 |
Generally reduced level of activity | 3.0 (5) | 0.003* | 1.5 (2) | 0.51 | 1.8 (3) | 0.24 | |
Impulsiveness | 1.9 (3) | 0.15 | 3.0 (4) | 0.53 | 4.3 (7) | 0.90 | |
Any motor activity problem (≥1 problem) | 7.9 (14) | 0.61 | 8.9 (12) | 0.73 | 10.2 (17) | 0.84 | |
Communication and Interaction | Eye contact | 0.0 (0) | 0.73 | 0.0 (0) | 0.70 | 0.0 (0) | 0.67 |
Contact smile | 1.2 (2) | 0.95 | 0.8 (1) | 0.65 | 1.8 (3) | 0.42 | |
Proximity seeking (parents) | 0.0 (0) | 0.46 | 0.0 (0) | 0.48 | 1.2 (2) | 0.46 | |
Mutual communication (parents) | 2.6 (4) | 0.89 | 3.1 (4) | 0.83 | 3.1 (5) | 0.80 | |
Joint attention | 19.2 (30) | 0.37 | 16.9 (22) | 0.90 | 14.3 (23) | 0.43 | |
Bodily contact | 1.2 (2) | 0.51 | 1.5 (2) | 0.33 | 1.2 (2) | 0.51 | |
Selectivity | 3.8 (6) | 0.83 | 3.8 (5) | 0.86 | 3.7 (6) | 0.86 | |
Any interaction problem (≥1 problem) | 21.4 (38) | 0.43 | 21.5 (29) | 0.86 | 18.1 (30) | 0.36 | |
Language | Language understanding | 13.0 (21) | <0.0001* | 11.3 (15) | 0.0004* | 3.7 (6) | 0.48 |
Verbal expression | 7.9 (13) | 0.19 | 8.2 (11) | 0.18 | 7.3 (12) | 0.31 | |
Any language problem (≥1 problem) | 16.3 (29) | 0.0001* | 14.8 (20) | 0.02* | 10.8 (18) | 0.48 | |
Percent with three or more problems | 23.3 (38) | 0.07 | 20.9 (27) | 0.46 | 16.9 (28) | 0.79 |