Researchers have found that babies who were born pre-term are less likely to form romantic relationships, have sexual relations or experience parenthood than those who were born full term, a new study shows.
According to a recent report by the World Health Organisation (WHO), India leads in preterm births, where babies are born before completing 37 weeks of gestation.
Published in the journal JAMA Network Open, the study, that studied 4.4 million participants, says that those born pre-term were 28 per cent less likely to form romantic relationships and 22 per cent less likely to become parents, when compared to those born full-term.
"It is partly due to pre-term birth being associated with being more often withdrawn and shy, socially excluded and less likely to take risks in adolescence," said researchers from the University of Warwick.
"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 preterm-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 well-being," said the study lead author Marina Goulart de Mendonca from the University of Warwick.
More needs to be done in schools and by parents to encourage social interactions at younger ages, so when they transition to adulthood they are more likely to meet someone and increase their well-being, said the experts.
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