Psychiatric Symptoms: Prevalence, Co-occurrence, and Functioning Among Extremely Low Gestational Age Newborns at Age 10 Years

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the percentage of children born extremely preterm (EP) who screen positive for >/=1 DSM-IV psychiatric disorders, the co-occurrence of and sex-related differences in these classifications, and the functional correlates of psychiatric symptoms. METHODS: The Extremely Low Gestational Age Newborn (ELGAN) Study is a prospective cohort follow-up of children born /=4 psychiatric disorders. Compared with children who did not screen positive for psychiatric disorders, children who screened positive for >/=3 psychiatric disorders were approximately twice as likely to have repeated a grade, have an individualized educational program, have an individual school aide, and to require special remediation classes. Children who screened positive for any psychiatric disorder were 4 times more likely to use 1 or more psychotropic medication, and those who screened positive for >/=2 psychiatric disorders had lower PedsQL scores. CONCLUSION: Among 10-year-old children born EP, rates of psychiatric symptoms exceeded normative expectation, and children who screened positive for more than 1 psychiatric disorder were at increased risk of having multiple functional impairments.