Effects of early hospitalization and surgery on the emotional development of 3 year olds: An exploratory study.

The emotional and social development of full term infants who required major neonatal surgery were compared prospectively over 3 years with those of a matched group of healthy infants. Ratings of the mother-child relationship and attachment ratings at 12 months indicated that in the short-term there was no evidence of any adverse effects of early hospitalization. At 3 years of age however, the children in the surgical group as a whole showed an increased incidence of behaviour problems, and there was a higher rate of difficulties in the mother-child relationship compared with the controls. Within the surgical group, a combination of a lengthy first admission, repeat admissions, and family and social factors were associated with this increased rate of emotional and behavioural difficulties.