2 Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.

Background: Despite significant advancements in the care of premature infants, it must be acknowledged that premature infants especially low birth weight infants are prone to problems such as sensory, cognitive, neuro-motor, visual, and hearing problems. Behavioral abnormalities, and socio-emotional difficulties, and impaired school performance are the objective future difficulties of them too.

Methods: This research aimed to predict behavioral problems based on attachment styles and sensory processing in children with a history of prematurity at birth. The research method was descriptive cross sectional study. The study population consisted of all 5 to 12-year-old children in Tehran in the year 2022, among them 154 children aged 5 to 12-year-old whom had the history of prematurity at birth were selected as convenience sampling method. Data were collected using the Sensory profile2-child, Kinship Center Attachment Questionnaire and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Data were analyzed through Pearson correlation coefficient and regression analysis.

Results: The findings demonstrated a significant negative correlation between adaptive development and behavioral problems (r=-.65, p<0.05) in children. Moreover, a significant positive relationship was found between attachment styles and emotional reactivity (r=0.64, p<0.05), negative behaviors, and avoidance of attachment figure support (r=.67, p<0.05), as well as sensory processing and behavioral problems in children with a history of prematurity at birth (r=.67, p<0.05). Additionally, motor processing (β=0.22, p<0.05), emotional reaction (β=0.17, p<0.05), and avoidance of attachment figure support(β=0.17, p<0.29) were capable of predicting behavioral problems in children with a history of prematurity at birth.

Conclusion: it was concluded that as the levels of attachment styles, emotional reaction, negative behaviors, and avoidance of attachment increase in children with a history of prematurity, their behavioral problems increase as well. Conversely, an increase in positive adaptive development is associated with a decrease in behavioral problems.