Predictors of individual differences in attention among low birth weight children.

The prediction of early childhood attention problems was investigated prospectively within a sample of low birth weight children. Medical risk, temperament, quality of home environment, and developmental status were correlated with task measures of inattention and impulsivity; developmental status and quality of home environment were correlated with examiner ratings of inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity during testing; and quality of home environment was correlated with parental reports of hyperactivity. Multiple regression analyses indicated that attention problems were predicted by temperament, environment, and the interaction between developmental status and quality of home environment. These findings support the usefulness of a multidimensional approach to the measurement of attention problems and a multivariate approach to prediction and suggest that quality of home environment, in interaction with characteristics of the infant, influences the development of self-regulation and attention among low birth weight children.