Table 1.
Sample demographic and neonatal clinical details (n = 180).
| Total (N = 180) | Low stress (n = 90) | High stress (n = 90) | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age at birth, mean ± SD, weeks | 26.64 ± 0.99 | 26.86 ± 0.95 | 26.29 ± 0.99 | P < 0.01 |
| Age at scan, mean ± SD, weeks | ||||
| 30 weeks | 30.00 ± 0.97 | 30.57 ± 0.77 | 31.00 ± 0.96 | P < 0.001 |
| 40 weeks | 41.00 ± 0.90 | 41.00 ± 1.02 | 41.00 ± 0.59 | ns |
| Sedation during scan (yes/no) | ||||
| 30 weeks | 127/53 | 66/24 | 61/29 | ns |
| 40 weeks | 170/10 | 88/2 | 82/8 | ns |
| Gender, female/male, n | 78/102 | 42/48 | 36/54 | ns |
| Birthweight z-scorea, mean ± SD, g | −0.45 ± 1.40 | −0.42 ± 1.44 | −0.38 ± 1.37 | ns |
| Invasive proceduresb, median (range) | 0.03 | −0.52 | 0.68 | P < 0.001 |
| (−3.28 − 2.51) | (−3.28–0.02) | (0.03–2.51) | ||
| Days of morphine, mean ± SD | 3.14 ± 5.80 | 2.10 ± 4.49 | 4.15 ± 6.72 | P < 0.05 |
| Prenatal corticosteroids (yes/no) | 164/16 | 84/6 | 80/10 | ns |
| Postnatal corticosteroids (yes/no) | 54/126 | 21/69 | 33/57 | P < 0.05 |
| Intraventricular hemorrhaging (yes/no) | 59/121 | 27/63 | 32/58 | ns |
| Necrotizing enterocolitis, n | 9 | 4 | 5 | ns |
| Retinopathy of prematurity, n | 60 | 18 | 42 | P < 0.01 |
| Meningitis, n | 1 | 0 | 1 | ns |
| 1 min APGAR score, median (range) | 5 (0–9) | 6 (0–9) | 5 (0–9) | |
| 5 min APGAR score, median (range) | 8 (0–10) | 8 (0–10) | 7 (2–9) |
aDutch Perinatal registry reference data (Perined [103]).
bCentralized and standardized cumulative sum of invasive procedures during the stay in NICU Statistical significance was assessed with either a T test (for continuous data) or a Kruskal–Wallis test (for ordinal data).