Frazier JA, Cochran D, Kim S, Jalnapurkar I, Joseph RM, Hooper SR, Santos HP Jr, Ru H, Venuti L, Singh R, Washburn LK, Gogcu S, Msall ME, Kuban KCK, Rollins JV, Hanson SG, Jara H, Pastyrnak SL, Roell KR, Fry RC, O’Shea TM; ELGAN Study Investigators.
J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2022 Jul;61(7):892-904.e2. doi: 10.1016/j.jaac.2021.12.008. Epub 2021 Dec 29. PMID: 34973366; PMCID: PMC9240104.
Objective: To evaluate the prevalence, co-occurrence, sex differences, and functional correlates of DSM-5 psychiatric disorders in 15-year-old adolescents born extremely preterm.
Method: The Extremely Low Gestational Age Newborns (ELGAN) Study is a longitudinal study of children born <28 weeks gestation. At age 15, 670 adolescents completed the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children and Adolescents (MINI-KID), the Youth Self-Report, a disability scale of participation in social roles, and cognitive testing. Parents completed a family psychiatric history questionnaire.
Results: The most prevalent psychiatric disorders were anxiety, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and major depression. More girls met criteria for anxiety than boys. Though 66% of participants did not meet criteria for a psychiatric disorder, 15% met criteria for 1, 9% for 2, and 8% for ≥3 psychiatric disorders. Participants with ≥2 psychiatric disorders were more likely to have repeated a grade, to have an individualized educational program, and to have a lower nonverbal IQ than those with no psychiatric disorders. Participants with any psychiatric disorder were more likely to use psychotropic medications; to have greater cognitive and functional impairment; and to have mothers who were single, were on public health insurance, and had less than a high school education. Finally, a positive family psychiatric history was identified more frequently among adolescents with ≥3 psychiatric disorders.
Conclusion: Among adolescents born extremely preterm, anxiety, major depression, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder were the most prevalent psychiatric disorders at age 15. Adolescents with >1 psychiatric disorder were at increased risk for multiple functional and participatory challenges.