June 14, 2004

By: Alicia Jurgens
Website: http://www.1st-in-babies.com

Premature Babies – More Likely To Become Depressed Adolescents

Prematurity and low birthweight are associated with a substantially higher rate of depressive disorder in adolescence, according to a short report in the May issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry.

The risk of becoming depressed is more than 11 times higher among adolescents who were born prematurely or who had a low birthweight. For females, rates of depression in those born prematurely or with low birthweight were 15%, compared with less than 2% for those born in normal deliveries.

Between August 1992 and July 1995 the researchers conducted a prospective study of just under 2,000 adolescents in Victoria, Australia. Young people with depressive disorder were identified through a computerised questionnaire, and were then interviewed face-to-face and compared with a control group of non-depressed adolescents.

The interviews established whether the young person had had pre-existing symptoms of anxiety or depression; explored recent life events; and assessed the degree of parental bonding with the child.

Telephone interviews with parents of participants diagnosed with depressive disorder, and with parents of the control group, were then carried out to establish whether either parent had ever experienced a depressive episode, and gestational age and birthweight of their child.

Poor maternal bonding through childhood did not appear to be a mechanism for the association between prematurity and depressive disorder. However, when pre-existing depressive and anxiety symptoms, and recent negative life events, were taken into account, it appeared that a heightened sensitivity to social adversity accounted for part of the risk for depression in those who were born premature or with a low birth weight.

The authors of the study comment that genes, maternal physiology and the function of the placenta may affect brain development through nutritional and hormonal mechanisms. For those born prematurely, stress at birth and poor nutrition in the early weeks of life may also play a role.

Early physiological adaptation, particularly of hormones involved in the pathway between the hypothalamus in the brain, the pituitary gland and the adrenal gland, to nutritional deficiencies in the womb has been one explanation for the links between low birthweight and later risks of heart disease and diabetes. The HPA axis, as well as another hormonal pathway, has also been implicated in early depression, and both are affected by low birthweight.

This may lower the threshold for depressive and anxiety symptoms in response to adversity and, in time, lead to a more negative attitude towards, and vulnerability to, life events.

Also see; Baby Strollers.

About The Author:

Alicia Jurgens is a successful author and regular contributor to http://www.1st-in-babies.com.  Taking care of your babies needs including safety, toys, health and baby products.