Low birth weight but high self esteem

A recent study has shown that even though children who are extremely underweight at birth have a higher risk of developmental problems, such children feel no different from their peers when they reach the teen years. Their parents, on the other hand, report that their children do lag behind other teens in some areas.Researchers from the Department of Paediatrics, McMaster University, Canada, followed hundreds of premature babies since birth to observe how they function in society as they grow up. The study included 263 teenagers, half of whom were grossly underweight at birth. It was found that less than half of the original group of 397 babies survived long enough to leave the hospital, and some died after leaving the hospital. Not surprisingly, teens who have been very underweight at birth were more likely than other teens to have academic problems at school and to have failed in class. Parents were more likely to report that their child had symptoms of attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) than parents of teens who had a normal weight at birth. They were also more likely to report that their child experienced symptoms of depression. But children who had been very underweight reported feeling that they were no different than their peers.

Teens who had been underweight were no more likely than other teens to report symptoms of ADHD or depression. Compared to other parents, mothers and fathers of premature babies rated their teens as clumsier than average and having poor athletic skills. When the teenagers were asked to rate their athletic ability and behaviour at school, the kids born prematurely saw themselves as no different from their peers. They were just as likely as other young people to participate in extracurricular activities, including sports, arts, music and other hobbies. These teens also did not think that their relationships with teachers and friends were any different than other teens. According to the researchers, socio-economic status and family support probably makes a big difference in helping these children develop a belief that they are no different from their peers despite their learning disabilities. None of the children in the study were from underprivileged households. The researchers plan to follow these teens into adulthood to study how they succeed in their relationships and careers.

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