Dr Tamara Walczak-Kozłowska from the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Gdańsk won first place in the competition organised by the Students' Parliament of the Republic of Poland and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education for the best thesis. In her dissertation, she analysed the consequences of preterm birth (i.e. birth taking place before the 32nd week of pregnancy) on the functioning of a child in the preschool period.

The title of your dissertation is 'Funkcjonowanie mechanizmów uwagi jako predyktor gotowości szkolnej dzieci urodzonych bardzo przedwcześnie' (Functioning of attentional mechanisms as a predictor of school readiness in children born very prematurely). What was the main aim of the research?

The main aim of the study was to verify whether, based on knowledge about the efficiency of attention mechanisms at the age of 5, we can predict school readiness at the age of 6 in children born very prematurely. The study was therefore a two-stage one. In the first stage, I measured the efficiency of the activation, orientation and executive mechanisms of attention in preterm children. In the second stage, I measured competences important in assessing a child's school readiness, such as auditory-linguistic, visual-spatial, socio-emotional and motor functions, among others.

The research you have undertaken has led to some very interesting conclusions and insights. Please tell us about the most important ones.

The analysis of the results of the study revealed that children born very prematurely are characterised by a selective and relatively stable deficit of the orientation mechanism of attention in the preschool period. This observation may suggest that in children born very prematurely developmental processes related to maturation and plasticity of brain structures responsible for the efficiency of the orientation mechanism proceed much slower than in children born on time, and compensatory mechanisms may be much less effective.

In the study, I also observed that children born very prematurely are a rather heterogeneous group (inter- and intraindividually) when it comes to the functioning of the attentional system. Although some preterm children show clinically significant deficits in specific aspects of attention, the attention profile of most of these children does not differ significantly from that of children born at term. I was also able to show that birth age, in the case of children born very prematurely, is not significant for the functioning of attentional mechanisms, while a significant risk factor for reduced performance of these processes is low birth weight.

The results of my study also indicate that at the age of 5 the development of abilities important to the school functioning of preterm infants is strongly conditioned by the efficiency of the attentional orientation mechanism. This relationship changes in the 6th year of the child's life in favour of the executive mechanism, the efficiency of which in this period makes it possible to predict, among other things, the auditory-linguistic and visual-spatial abilities of preterm infants.

You mentioned that, although the research carried out was of a basic nature, the results obtained, apart from their scientific value, allow us to make some practical remarks.

Definitely yes. In children born very prematurely, it seems particularly important to support the orientation and executive mechanism of attention in the preschool period. It is also worth conducting diagnostic research on the functioning of particular attentional processes in premature children before the beginning of kindergarten, so that intervention measures can be effectively implemented even before the planned start of school. Diagnosis of attention deficits only at the age of 6 gives fewer possibilities for long-term compensatory measures.

In conclusion, please tell us about the most relevant findings of the study.

First of all, it has been shown that although deficits in specific attentional mechanisms are observed in children born very preterm, the statement that the attention system is disturbed in preterm infants seems to be exaggerated or at least should be used with caution, because, as I have shown in my research, difficulties, if they are observed, are mostly selective. Importantly, attention problems mainly affect preterm low birth-weight babies. It, therefore, seems that this group should be the first to benefit from early intervention services to support their development.

What are your further scientific plans?

I currently work at the Institute of Psychology of the University of Gdańsk in a grant carried out in a consortium of the University of Gdańsk and Copernicus Hospital in Gdańsk (research in this project mainly concerns early detection of postpartum depression symptoms). Recently, I have also been working as a research and didactic assistant in the Department of Psychology at the University of Physical Education and Sport in Gdańsk. My scientific plans are connected with the field of clinical psychology and neuropsychology of development. Currently, my scientific activity is focused on further research on the consequences of preterm birth on the functioning of children at different stages of their development. The realisation of these activities is made possible by the grant I received from the National Science Centre (in the Prelude competition). Additionally, together with dr Magdalena Chrzan-Dętkoś I research mental disorders of the perinatal period and preventive measures introduced by the new standard of perinatal care.

The doctoral dissertation entitled. 'Funkcjonowanie mechanizmów uwagi jako predyktor gotowości szkolnej dzieci urodzonych bardzo przedwcześnie' (Functioning of attentional mechanisms as a predictor of school readiness in children born very prematurely) was prepared at the Institute of Psychology UG under the supervision of Prof. UG dr hab. Michał Harciarek and dr Magdalena Chrzan-Dętkoś.