Babies born very prematurely or severely underweight are at an increased risk of becoming introverted, neurotic and risk averse as adults, research suggests.
Scientists say the findings of a new study could help explain the higher rates of career and relationship difficulties experienced by the group in later life.
The study, by the University of Warwick, followed 200 German adults born between 1985 and 1986 either very prematurely or with a birthweight below 1.5kg.
A similar number of adults born at full term and at a normal weight also provided the team of researchers with information about their personality traits.
These were assessed across five criteria - introversion, neuroticism, levels of openness to new experiences, agreeableness and conscientiousness.
Adults who had been born very prematurely and underweight scored significantly higher on all but two of the personality traits - conscientiousness and openness.
They also reported significantly higher levels of autistic spectrum behaviours, along with lower levels of risk taking.
Researchers say these traits describe a "socially withdrawn" personality, or someone who is easily worried, less socially engaged, less interested in taking risks and less communicative.
Professor Dieter Wolke, of the department of psychology, University of Warwick, led the research, which is published in Archives of Disease in Childhood: Fetal & Neonatal Edition.
"Personality characteristics are very important because they help people to develop into adult roles and form and maintain social relationships," Prof Wolke said.
"Previous studies have found they are more likely to be bullied at school and less likely to progress to university or attain well paid employment."
If identified early, parents could be provided with techniques to foster their child's social skills to help compensate for socially withdrawn personality characteristics, he said.
In the paper, Prof Wolke writes that the different personality traits are likely to be the result of alterations in brain structure and functioning from those born at full term.
Previous studies have linked poor peer relations and social-emotional problems in childhood with regional disruptions in the white matter in the right orbital frontal cortex.
This region is involved in social regulations and social cognition.
Having over-protective parents and early stresses in the womb are also thought to be possible factors in a withdrawn personality.
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