Archives of disease in childhood
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Multicenter Study
Higher rates of behavioural and emotional problems at preschool age in children born moderately preterm.
To compare preschool children born moderately preterm (MP; 32-35 weeks' gestation) and children born at term (38-41 weeks' gestation) regarding the occurrence of behavioural and emotional problems, overall, for separate types of problems and by gender. ⋯ Moderate preterm birth affects all domains of behavioural and emotional problems, particularly for girls. MP children should be targeted for the prevention of mental health problems as they have a great impact on developmental and social competencies at school and in the community.