A recent study observed a higher rate of psychiatric problems in individuals who had a low birth weight.
The findings also showed those whose mothers received a full course of steroids prior to giving birth had an even greater risk of developing a psychiatric disorder, McMaster University in Canada reported.
"Importantly, we have identified psychiatric risks that may develop for extremely low birth weight survivors as they become adults, and this understanding will help us better predict, detect and treat mental disorders in this population," said Dr. Ryan Van Lieshout, lead author of the study and a professor of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences for the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine at McMaster.
The researchers looked at 84 adults who were born at a weight below two pounds, two ounces, as well as 90 normal birth weight babies.
The researchers found that those with low birth weights were three times less likely to develop substance abuse disorders by their early 30s, but were two and a half times more likely to develop psychiatric problems such as depression, anxiety disorders and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Those with extremely low birth weights who received a full course of life-saving steroids before birth were found to have about a four-and-a-half times higher risk of the same psychiatric issues and were not protected against drug and alcohol abuse disorders.
The findings were published in a recent edition of the journal Pediatrics. The study was funded by a research team grant from the Canadian Institutes for Health Research.
