Pediatrics and psychiatry: Clinical and psychological aspects related to complications of premature birth

Introduction: Prematurity is defined as birth below 37 weeks, and can be moderate, severe or extreme. The preterm birth of the child can cause several complications for both the mother and the baby. Thus, premature birth presents itself as a potential biological and psychosocial risk for the child's development, as well as can cause generalized anxiety disorder in the mother, caused by the early separation of mother and baby and excessive concern with the survival of her child. Objective: The present project aims to perform a bibliographic analysis on the complications generatedby premature birth for the health and psychosocial development of mother and baby. Methodology: this is an integrative literature review, carried out in the following databases: Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO), Web of Science and National Library of Medicine (PubMed/Medline), Google Scholar and Virtual Health Library (VHL). A total of 30 publications were identified, using 15 bibliographic references from the last 46 years. The exclusion criteria were non-pertinence to the theme, and articlesprior to this period. The articles analyzed were selected according to the following descriptors: prematurity, psychosocial development, preterm birth, mother, baby, and health. Results: the first years of life are of paramount importance for child development, however, prematurity generates impacts on the child's health, and can lead to syndromic conditions or even, in some cases, death, in addition, preterm birth can cause cognitive impairments, behavioral disorders and neuropsychosocial disorders. Conclusion: it is evident that premature birth is accompanied by several challenges, both for the survival and development of the child, as well as for the constant concern generated in the mother. Analogous to this, it is of paramount importance to monitor themother and the baby in order to ensure a better quality of life.