A pilot exploration of the relationship between temperament and psychopathology in 12-18 year-old children born at extremely low birth weight

• Main Author: Borrageiro, Dannita
• Other Authors: Govender, C. O.
• Format: Others
• Language: en
• Published: 2015
• Subjects: Extreme low birth weight; Temperament; Quality of life; Biopsychosocial theory; Shyness; Psychopathology; Neurodevelopmental disorders; Social phobia; 155.2340835; Temperament in children; Adolescent psychopathology; Social phobia in adolescence; Bashfulness in children
• Online Access: Borrageiro, Dannita (2014) A pilot exploration of the relationship between temperament and psychopathology in 12-18 year-old children born at extremely low birth weight, University of South Africa, Pretoria, <http://hdl.handle.net/10500/18805>; http://hdl.handle.net/10500/18805

The aim of this study was to explore temperament, psychopathology and quality of life (QOL) in adolescents born at extremely low birth weight (ELBW), i.e., < 1000g. ELBW adolescents (N = 15) completed the Revised Cheek and Buss Scale and Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview 5.0.0 (M.I.N.I.), while their legal guardians completed a biographical questionnaire and the Short Form 12 version 2. The median age of the sample was 13 SD = 2.526 years (60% male) and all participants spoke English. ELBW adolescents with social phobia (n = 6) were more shy (p = .041) and had poorer mental health-related QOL (p = .041) than those without such symptoms. The results suggest that ELBW could be a predisposing factor for increased shyness and psychological disorders including social phobia. Planning of interventions for ELBW individuals should therefore include strategies to prevent or mitigate the effects of these factors in adolescence === Psychology === M.A. (Clinical Psychology)