Dutch researchers found that premature infants born several weeks early are twice as likely to develop behavioral and emotional disorders compared to full-term children. This conclusion was drawn by comparing behavioral and emotional test data from 600 full-term infants and 1,000 premature infants born between 32 and 35 weeks.They observed that behavioral and emotional disorders in premature infants emerge as early as preschool age, persist through childhood and adolescence, and significantly impact academic performance and social engagement.