To assess the associations between cognitive development of very low birth weight (VLBW) infants and measures of parental psychological well-being.
In this prospective cohort study, 182 VLBW infants born 1/2001-12/2006 at the Turku University Hospital, Finland, were followed up. At 2 years corrected age, cognitive development of the child was assessed using the Mental Development Index of Bayley Scales, and both parents filled in validated questionnaires defining parental psychological well-being (Beck Depression Inventory, Parenting Stress Index and Sense of Coherence Scale).
The cognitive delay of the infant was associated with paternal symptoms of depression (p = 0.007) and parenting stress (p = 0.03). Mothers of the infants with cognitive delay reported increased parenting stress related to the difficulty to accept the child (p = 0.001). Weak sense of coherence predicted depressive symptoms in both parents (p