A Longitudinal Study of the Growth and Development of Prematurely and Maturely Born Children: Part VII: Mental Development 2-5 Years

Abstract

In previous papers in this series (Drillien, 1958, 1959a, b) reference has been made to maternal efficiency and maternal grading in relation to physical and mental development and morbidity. In this final paper, dealing with the progress of prematurely and maturely born children in the first two years of life, patterns of maternal care in different types of home are described for 368 singleton children. Working class mothers, who form 90% of the total, are divided into superior working class, with husbands mainly in the Registrar General's Social Class III, where standards of child care and household management approximate closely to those found in homes with fathers in Social Classes I and IJ, average and poor working class. In the last group there is a predominance of mothers of low intelligence and fathers who are sporadically employed on labouring work. In the subsequent discussion, mothers with husbands included in the Registrar General's Social Classes I and II are described as maternal grade 1. Superior working class are described as grade 2, average and poor working class, 3 and 4. The numbers included in these four groups are shown in Table 1. The social