Table 1.
Characteristics of the participants
| Characteristics | Preterm | Full‐term | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boys | Girls | Boys | Girls | |
| Number of subjects | 27 | 34 | 15 | 24 |
| Age, years | 7.8 (0.39) | 7.7 (0.39) | 8.0 (0.91) | 8.0 (1.11) |
| MRI scans | 16 | 25 | 5 | 8 |
| Head circumference at age 8 years | 51.5 (2.38) | 51.7 (1.79) | 52.8 (1.64) | 52.3 (1.96) |
| GA at birth, weeks | 29.7 (2.29)*** | 29.5 (2.45)*** | 39.6 (1.21) | 40.1 (0.68) |
| Birth weight, g | 1,382.9 (501.46)*** | 1,286.9 (370.42)*** | 3,496.4 (732.20) | 3,415.8 (300.91) |
| Number of subjects small for GA | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Number of skin‐breaking procedures | 103.6 (82.94) | 94.6 (73.40) | n/a | n/a |
| Morphine dosage | 0.9 (1.67) | 0.9 (3.70) | n/a | n/a |
| Days on mechanical ventilation | 8.7 (13.29) | 10.18 (18.02) | n/a | n/a |
| Early illness severity (SNAP‐II) | 13.8 (10.08) | 10.3 (10.71) | n/a | n/a |
| Verbal comprehension index (WISC‐IV) | 100.9 (18.33) | 98.2 (11.26)** | 110.1 (14.87) | 107.9 (12.15) |
| Perceptual reasoning index (WISC‐IV) | 101.0 (18.79)* | 100.7 (12.86)** | 113.6 (14.71) | 112.8 (12.69) |
| Working memory index (WISC‐IV) | 95.2 (11.92) | 99.7 (12.18) | 102.1 (12.16) | 102.3 (10.92) |
| Processing speed index (WISC‐IV) | 92.0 (10.47) | 96.9 (14.64)* | 98.4 (14.46) | 108.5 (16.01) |
| Full‐scale IQ (WISC‐IV) | 97.0 (16.40)* | 98.7 (12.38)** | 108.7 (13.67) | 110.6 (12.40) |
| Internalizing behavior (CBCL) | 51.4 (12.49) | 50.6 (9.23) | 51.9 (10.96) | 48.4 (12.49) |
| Externalizing behavior (CBCL) | 49.0 (11.60) | 46.1 (9.23) | 48.6 (10.83) | 46.3 (10.52) |
| Behavioral regulation index (BRIEF) | 54.6 (13.07) | 49.2 (10.58) | 50.6 (8.84) | 50.0 (12.27) |
| Metacognition index (BRIEF) | 56.5 (11.99) | 52.4 (14.52) | 51.6 (6.01) | 48.0 (12.41) |
| Visual‐motor integration (BEERY) | 93.6 (7.66)* | 94.5 (10.04)** | 100.7 (15.47) | 103.4 (10.36) |
| Visual perception (BEERY) | 101.8 (15.45)* | 102.2 (15.40)** | 114.4 (16.33) | 113.5 (14.99) |
| Motor coordination (BEERY) | 90.9 (9.61) | 92.5 (10.18)* | 95.2 (11.60) | 99.2 (10.90) |
Note: The statistics are reported in the terms of group mean (SD), unless the number of subjects or scans is reported.
Abbreviations: BEERY, Beery‐Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual‐Motor Integration (5th ed.); BRIEF, Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function; CBCL, Child Behavior Checklist; GA, gestational age; n/a, not applicable; WISC‐IV, Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children.
*
p < .05
**
p < .01
***
p < .001 group difference (preterm—full‐term the same sex).