Sammanfattning
Background. There are still diverging results concerning the behaviour of children with verylow-
birth-weight (VLBW) and they have been questioned to display different levels of stress
hormone than normal-birth-weight (NBW) children. Aims. This study examined behaviour and
the stress hormone cortisol in children with VLBW at the ages of 7 and 9 years compared with
children with NBW. Results. Fifty-one VLBW and 50 NBW children were studied with the
Child Behavior Checklist. Cortisol rhythm was measured through saliva samples three times a
day for 2 days. VLBW children displayed more behavioural problems than NBW children,
specifi cally social and attention problems, although still within normal ranges. They showed
lower cortisol levels both at 7 and 9 years of age. No strong association between behaviour and
cortisol levels was shown. Conclusion. VLBW children display more behaviour problems
compared with NBW children but both groups score are within the normal range.
Down-regulation of their hypothalamic-pituitary -adrenal (HPA) function in terms of lower
cortisol levels is also noted.