Premature Birth May Increase Risk Of Decreased Math Abilities

New findings published in the journal Psychological Science reveal that people who were born premature are more likely to have lower mathematical abilities and are also less likely to accumulate wealth as adults.

"Our findings suggest that the economic costs of preterm birth are not limited to healthcare and educational support in childhood, but extend well into adulthood," psychological scientist Dieter Wolke of the University of Warwick said in a statement. "Together, these results suggest that the effects of prematurity via academic performance on wealth are long term, lasting into the fifth decade of life."

During the study, researchers analyzed data from over 15,000 people who were born between 28 and 42 weeks gestational age and who had available wealth information at age 42 years old.

Findings revealed that children born preterm tended to have lower wealth at age 42 and lower educational qualifications in adulthood than those who were born full-term. Furthermore, individuals who were born preterm were more likely to be manual workers, unemployed and more likely to report financial hardships. The study found that they were even less likely to own a house than those who were born full-term, even after accounting for other potential factors. Lastly, they tended to demonstrate lower academic success in childhood, particularly when it came to math. 

"What is perhaps most surprising is that most of the children we studied were not very preterm--born, on average, only five weeks early -- and still we find these long lasting effects," Maartje Basten, co-author of the study, said in a statement.

While the overall size of the effects observed in the study are small, the fact that these effects emerge at all after four decades is remarkable, the researchers say. 

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