Babies who were born pre-term are less likely to form romantic relationships in adulthood than those who were born at full term, according to the findings of a new analysis.
They are also less likely to have a sexual partner or experience parenthood, according to a meta-analysis by psychology researchers at the University of Warwick, UK, using data from 4.4 million adults.
Pre-term born adults may find it more difficult to form relationships because they are usually timid, socially withdrawn and avoid risk-taking, the researchers say.
They suggest that more effort is needed to help these children socialise in their early years.
Writing in JAMA, the researchers say that those born pre-term are 28% less likely to ever be in a romantic relationship and 22% less likely to become parents, when compared to those born full term.
Those adults who were born under 32 weeks gestation or extremely preterm, at under 28 weeks gestation, had even less chance of experiencing sexual relationships, finding a romantic partner or having children at the same age as those born full term. Researchers discovered that the extremely pre-term born adults were 3.2 times less likely to ever having sexual relations.
First author of the paper, Dr Marina Goulart de Mendonça from the Department of Psychology said: “The finding that adults who were born pre-term are less likely to have a partner, to have sex and become parents does not appear to be explained by a higher rate of disability.
“Rather pre-term born children have been previously found to have poorer social interactions in childhood that make it harder for them to master social transitions such as finding a partner, which in turn is proven to boost your wellbeing."
Senior author and psychology colleague Professor Dieter Wolke added: “Those caring for pre-term children, including parent’s health professionals and teachers, should be more aware of the important role of social development and social integration for pre-term children.”
Mendonça M, Billgin A, Wolke D. Association of Preterm Birth/Low Birth Weight with Romantic Partnership, Sexual Intercourse and Parenthood in Adulthood: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. JAMA 12 July 2019; DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.6961
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