Self-regulation in moderate-to-late preterm children: A scoping review

Abstract

Compared with the more physically fragile extremely/very preterm children (E/VPT), moderate-to-late preterm (MLPT) children—the large majority of preterm births—are underrepresented in research. This gap persists despite evidence that MLPT children exhibit more difficulties than full-term peers in certain domains. This scoping review surveys the literature on psychological forms of self-regulation in MLPT children, organized around three levels: emotional, behavioral, and cognitive regulation. We sought studies on MLPT children, aged 3 months to 3 years, including: (1) comparisons of self-regulation with other gestational groups; and (2) environmental and individual factors associated with self-regulation specifically in MLPT children. A systematic search across five electronic databases, supplemented by a manual search, identified 24 relevant articles. Our review found inconsistencies regarding self-regulation in MLPT children compared to other gestational groups. Emotion regulation in MLPT children appears comparable to E/VPT children, whereas behavioral regulation aligns more with full-term peers. Results for cognitive regulation are mixed. Environmental factors (e.g., maternal depressive symptoms) and individual factors (e.g., sex) associated with self-regulation were identified. The review underscores variability in self-regulation development among MLPT children and highlights the limited research focused on this population. More research, particularly longitudinal studies with representative samples, is urgently needed.