Risk-taking seems lower among people born preterm

Individuals born preterm appear to have a lower propensity for risk-taking behaviours, particularly in sexual and criminal domains, a new study has found.

The population-based register-linkage study included 191,705 children, of whom 4.4 percent (n=8,492) were born preterm without malformations. Participants were followed until young adulthood. Metrics for risky behaviour included teenage pregnancies, sexually transmitted Chlamydia trachomatis infections (STCTs), payment defaults, substance abuse, and criminal offenses.

Cox regression analysis showed a linear and dose-response relationship between gestational age and STCT. Each week decrease in gestational age reduced the likelihood of STCT by 1.6 percent (95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.7 to 2.6).

A similar effect was reported for teenage pregnancy, the adjusted hazard estimate for which dropped by 3.3 percent per week decrease in gestational age (95 percent CI, 1.9–4.8). Moreover, those born preterm (23–37 gestational weeks) were 51 percent less likely to have criminal offenses than their term comparators (95 percent CI, 31–83).

In contrast, payment defaults were 28 percent more likely among people born very preterm (95 percent CI, 7–53).

“These novel findings provide knowledge on the range of long-term impacts of prematurity highlighting once again that preterm birth is not a paediatric condition only,” the researchers said. “They also expand the understanding on the preterm born individual in the context of life course approach and may also contribute to self-awareness among those born preterm.”