Effects of maternal sensitivity on low birth weight children's academic achievement: a test of differential susceptibility versus diathesis stress

Abstract

Background Differential Susceptibility Theory (DST) postulates that some children are more affected – for better and for worse – by developmental experiences, including parenting, than others. Low birth weight (LBW, 1,500–2,499 g) may not only be a predictor for neurodevelopmental impairment but also a marker for prenatally programmed susceptibility. The aim was to test if effects of sensitive parenting on LBW and very LBW (VLBW, n = 283) and VLBW (n = 202) children. Confirmatory‐comparative and model‐fitting analysis (testing LBW vs. NBW and VLBW vs. NBW) indicated that LBW and VLBW children were more susceptible than NBW to the adverse effects of low‐sensitive, but not beneficial effects of high‐sensitive parenting. Conclusions Findings proved more consistent with the diathesis stress than differential‐susceptibility model of person‐X‐environment interaction: LBW and VLBW children's exposure to positive parenting predicted catch‐up to their NBW peers, whereas exposure to negative parenting predicted much poorer functioning.