Abstract:
Background: Despite significant advancements in the care of premature infants, it must be acknowledged that premature infants especially low birth weight infants are prone to problems such as sensory, cognitive, neuro motor, visual, and hearing problems. Behavioral abnormalities, and socioemotional difficulties, and impaired school performance are the objective future difficulties of them too.
Methods: This research aimed to predict behavioral problems based on attachment styles and sensory processing in children with a history of prematurity at birth. The research method was descriptive cross sectional study. The study population consisted of all 5 to 12-year-old children in Tehran in the year 2022, among them 154 children aged 5 to 12-year-old whom had the history of prematurity at birth were selected as convenience sampling method. Data were collected using the Sensory profile2-child, Kinship Center Attachment Questionnaire and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Data were analyzed through Pearson correlation coefficient and regression analysis.
Results: The findings demonstrated a significant negative correlation between adaptive development and behavioral problems (r=-.65, p<0.05) in children. Moreover, a significant positive relationship was found between attachment styles and emotional reactivity (r=0.64, p<0.05), negative behaviors, and avoidance of attachment figure support (r=.67, p<0.05), as well as sensory processing and behavioral problems in children with a history of prematurity at birth (r=.67, p<0.05). Additionally, motor processing (β=0.22, p<0.05), emotional reaction (β=0.17, p<0.05), and avoidance of attachment figure support (β=0.17, p<0.29) were capable of predicting behavioral problems in children with a history of prematurity at birth.
Conclusion: it was concluded that as the levels of attachment styles, emotional reaction, negative behaviors, and avoidance of attachment increase in children with a history of prematurity, their behavioral problems increase as well. Conversely, an increase in positive adaptive development is associated with a decrease in behavioral problems.
Keywords: Attachment Disorder, Bonding, Sensory Processing, Behavioral Problems, Premature Births
