PREMATURE BIRTHS CAUSE PSYCHOLOGICAL AILMENTS

Almost half of all children with birth weights below 1500 grams suffer from psychological ailments by the age of 14. One in four has symptoms of ADHD, a neuropsychological condition, and many have anxiety symptoms. The results come from a study at NTNU and St. Olavs Hospital that included 56 premature children. “These children constitute a risk group and they need treatment, but only a small number of the children in the study received the support that they needed”, says child psychiatrist Marit Indedavik of the Department of Neuroscience, NTNU.