Associations of Parental Distress and Behavior with School Readiness in Children Born Very Preterm.

This article focuses on the associations between parental well-being and behavior—specifically psychological distress, harshness, responsiveness and positive control, and cognitive stimulation—and school readiness in children born very preterm (VPT; gestational age <31 weeks) compared to children born full-term (FT; gestational age ≥37 weeks). The study found that higher parental distress and harshness were linked to more behavioral problems in both groups, while greater cognitive stimulation was associated with better cognitive, motor, and preacademic skills. Notably, parental distress correlated with lower general cognitive ability only in children born VPT, and harshness was related to poorer preacademic skills only in children born FT. These findings highlight psychological distress, harshness, and cognitive stimulation as modifiable family factors that could be targeted in interventions to improve school readiness among children born very preterm.