One-year neurodevelopmental outcome of very and late preterm infants. Risk factors and correlation with maternal stress

Although ―late preterm" (LP) newborns (33-36 weeks of gestational age) represent more than 70% of all preterm labors, little is known about the relation between certain risk factors and developmental outcomes in LP compared to ―very preterm‖ (≤ 32 weeks) children (VP). This study investigates: (1) LP and VP infants‘ development at 12 months of corrected age (CA) using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development - 3rd Edition (BSID-III); (2) correlation between BSID-III performances and maternal stress (using Parenting Stress Index-Short Form, PSI-SF) among LP and VP at 12 months CA; and (3) the link between known neonatal and demographic risk factors and developmental outcomes of LP and VP infants. For both LP and VP infants the Mean Cognitive (LP: 102,69±7,68; VP: 103,63±10,68), Language (LP: 96,23±10,08; VP: 99,10±10,37) and Motor (LP: 91,11±10,33; VP: 93,85±10,17) composite scores were in the normal range, without significant differences between the groups. Correlations between PSI-SF a