Correlates of concern in parents of high-risk infants at age five.

Parents whose children have experienced a high-risk birth may be in double jeopardy due to the biomedical effects of the birth trauma as well as parent perceptions and feelings regarding medical vulnerability and the subsequent impact on caregiving. The present study determined whether the developmental, social, and medical concerns reported by 223 parents of high-risk infants at age 5 were congruent with the child's medical history and developmental performance at age 5. Results indicated that parents with the highest levels of developmental, social, and medical concerns had children with lower birth weights who were born earlier and spent longer periods of time in the hospital at birth. These children also had lower outcomes on the cognitive ability measures at age 5, and were more likely to demonstrate potential behavior problems. Present findings suggest the degree of concern reported by parents of high-risk infants is congruent with the birth history and the developmental status of their child.