People who are born very prematurely or with a very low birth weight are at an increased risk of being introverted, neurotic and averse to taking risks as adults, according to the findings of a new study.

Share on Pinterest The study suggests that, for some individuals, the physiological circumstances of birth could explain career and relationship difficulties in adulthood.

The study, published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood (Fetal & Neonatal Edition), provides a personality profile for this group that, the authors suggest, may help to partly explain the social difficulties these individuals experience in relationships and their careers.

“Personality characteristics are very important because they help people to develop into adult roles and form and maintain social relationships,” states lead author Prof. Dieter Wolke of the University of Warwick, UK.

“Very premature and very low-birth-weight adults who have a socially withdrawn personality might experience difficulty dealing with social relationships with their peers, friends and partners.”

Previous research has revealed that individuals born after less than 32 weeks gestation and/or with a very low birth weight are at an increased risk of developing autistic spectrum behaviors. It has also been consistently shown that adults who were born very prematurely and/or severely underweight are less likely to exhibit risk-taking behaviors than peers born full term.

However, experts have been uncertain as to whether being born at less than 32 weeks and/or with a birth weight of less than 1.5 kgs has a bearing on other adult personality traits.

To investigate, Prof. Wolke and colleagues compared the personality traits of 200 26-year-olds who were born either after less than 32 weeks and/or with a birth weight of less than 1.5 kgs to 197 other young people born in the same obstetric units at full term and with weights in the normal range.

The researchers aimed to find out whether extreme prematurity and low birth weight led to a specific personality profile or whether low IQ – also associated with premature birth – could explain any personality differences.

Five dimensions of personality traits were measured and assessed: agreeableness, conscientiousness, introversion, neuroticism and openness to new experiences.