 News
27th February 2006
Prematurity affects personality
Being born very early can affect a child's personality into
adulthood, according to new research.
Scientists from the Institute of Psychiatry found that premature babies,
particularly girls, were more likely to be anxious and withdrawn.
The study, published in the American journal Pediatrics, studied 108
yound adults aged 18 and 19 years old who had been born early, and compared
them to those born at full-term.
Everyone was asked to complete a personality questionnaire, which included
48 questions such as 'does your mood ever go up or down?' and 'do you
enjoy co-operating with others?'.
The results suggested those born prematurely had lower levels of a personality
trait called 'extraversion', indicating that they may have less confident
and outgoing personalities.
They also had higher levels of the personality trait 'neuroticism', which
indicates increased anxiety, lower mood and lower self-esteem.
The team led by psychiatrist Dr Matthew Allin, said the scores suggest
being born very premature might predispose someone to the kind of personality
likely to develop depression and anxiety disorders.
However, the study did not investigate why prematurity would affect personality
and the team plan to extend their study to try and find out more.
"It's possible that being born very small might be linked to some damage
to the brain, possibly an infection," Dr Allin said.
"It might be that being in an incubator makes it difficult to bond with
parents, and for them to bond with you.
"While another possibility is that personality is in the genes to some
extent, so could be inherited to some degree."
A spokeswoman for Bliss, the premature baby charity, said, "These findings
are very interesting.
"Instead of attributing these findings exclusively to brain function,
genetics or upbringing, we would like to see more research into the stress
and trauma caused by the intensive care experience itself.
"The possible effects of psychological trauma stemming from something
highly invasive, like intensive care, should not be ignored. This is an
area which merits much more research and attention."
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