Craig Olsson

Health Psychology Intervention in Key Social Environments to Promote Adolescent Health

Publisher: Informa UK Limited

Date: 04-2014

DOI: 10.1111/AP.12043

Stress-sensitive neurosignalling in depression: An integrated network biology approach to candidate gene selection for genetic association analysis

Publisher: Hindawi Limited

Date: 26-07-2012

DOI: 10.4081/MI.2012.E21

Abstract: Genetic risk for depressive disorders is poorly understood despite consistent suggestions of a high heritable component. Most genetic studies have focused on risk associated with single variants, a strategy which has so far only yielded small (often non-replicable) risks for depressive disorders. In this paper we argue that more substantial risks are likely to emerge from genetic variants acting in synergy within and across larger neurobiological systems (polygenic risk factors). We show how knowledge of major integrated neurobiological systems provides a robust basis for defining and testing theoretically defensible polygenic risk factors. We do this by describing the architecture of the overall stress response . Maladaptation via impaired stress responsiveness is central to the aetiology of depression and anxiety and provides a framework for a systems biology approach to candidate gene selection. We propose principles for identifying genes and gene networks within the neurosystems involved in the stress response and for defining polygenic risk factors based on the neurobiology of stress-related behaviour. We conclude that knowledge of the neurobiology of the stress response system is likely to play a central role in future efforts to improve genetic prediction of depression and related disorders.

Personality Inventory for Children: a measure of biopsychosocial status in children and adolescents

Publisher: SciELO Espana/Repisalud

Date: 03-2014

DOI: 10.4321/S0213-61632014000100001

Early origins of mental disorder - risk factors in the perinatal and infant period

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 29-07-2016

DOI: 10.1186/S12888-016-0982-7

Adolescent substance use and educational attainment: An integrative data analysis comparing cannabis and alcohol from three Australasian cohorts

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 11-2015

DOI: 10.1016/J.DRUGALCDEP.2015.08.034

Abstract: The relative contributions of cannabis and alcohol use to educational outcomes are unclear. We examined the extent to which adolescent cannabis or alcohol use predicts educational attainment in emerging adulthood. Participant-level data were integrated from three longitudinal studies from Australia and New Zealand (Australian Temperament Project, Christchurch Health and Development Study, and Victorian Adolescent Health Cohort Study). The number of participants varied by analysis (N=2179-3678) and were assessed on multiple occasions between ages 13 and 25. We described the association between frequency of cannabis or alcohol use prior to age 17 and high school non-completion, university non-enrolment, and degree non-attainment by age 25. Two other measures of alcohol use in adolescence were also examined. After covariate adjustment using a propensity score approach, adolescent cannabis use (weekly+) was associated with 1½ to two-fold increases in the odds of high school non-completion (OR=1.60, 95% CI=1.09-2.35), university non-enrolment (OR=1.51, 95% CI=1.06-2.13), and degree non-attainment (OR=1.96, 95% CI=1.36-2.81). In contrast, adjusted associations for all measures of adolescent alcohol use were inconsistent and weaker. Attributable risk estimates indicated adolescent cannabis use accounted for a greater proportion of the overall rate of non-progression with formal education than adolescent alcohol use. Findings are important to the debate about the relative harms of cannabis and alcohol use. Adolescent cannabis use is a better marker of lower educational attainment than adolescent alcohol use and identifies an important target population for preventive intervention.

Social mediators of relationships between childhood reading difficulties, behaviour problems, and secondary school noncompletion

Publisher: Informa UK Limited

Date: 06-2019

DOI: 10.1111/AJPY.12220

Why Self-Report Variables Inter-Correlate: the Role of Homeostatically Protected Mood

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 21-08-2018

DOI: 10.1007/S41543-018-0014-0

Adolescent exposure to drink driving as a predictor of young adults' drink driving

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 03-2013

DOI: 10.1016/J.AAP.2012.11.016

Maternal and paternal depression and anxiety and offspring infant negative affectivity: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Publisher: Center for Open Science

Date: 06-11-2020

DOI: 10.31234/OSF.IO/Y9S7W

Abstract: Maternal internalizing symptoms during pregnancy, specifically depression and/or anxiety, are commonly linked to negative affectivity (NA) in infant offspring. These links are commonly attributed to biological effects of the in utero environment on fetal development. However, research suggests that internalizing symptoms before and after pregnancy, as well as in fathers, may also be associated with NA in infant offspring. Such findings suggest greater complexity in transmission than can be explained by biological in utero programming alone. Further, infant NA is often treated as an homogenous construct, yet it covers a range of facets including fear, frustration, sadness, and slow recovery from distress that may each be differentially associated with parent internalizing distress. Here we aimed to (1) meta-analytically quantify associations between maternal and paternal internalizing symptoms and infant offspring NA, (2) examine how associations varied as a function of distinct phenotypic facets of NA, and (3) examine how associations varied by timing of parental symptoms (preconception, antenatal, postnatal) and infant age. Using random-effects meta-analysis, we found that maternal internalizing symptoms were positively associated with infant NA (r = 0.17 [95% CI 0.14, 0.21], 42 studies, 149 estimates). Preliminary evidence from studies of fathers likewise suggested a positive association with infant NA (r = 0.13 [95% CI 0.04, 0.22], 6 studies, 40 estimates). We observed associations with the global infant NA construct, as well as effect modification by infant NA facet (maternal r range .12 to .22 paternal r range .03 to.21). In mothers, there was no evidence of effect modification by timing of internalizing symptoms or infant age in fathers, preliminary associations were larger for postnatal than antenatal symptoms. Further studies of preconception and paternal symptoms are now needed, and we suggest avenues for research to advance understanding of the relations between parent internalizing symptoms and infant NA.

Cannabis use by women during pregnancy does not influence infant DNA methylation of the dopamine receptor DRD4

Publisher: Informa UK Limited

Date: 27-04-2017

DOI: 10.1080/00952990.2017.1314488

Variation in the gene coding for the M5 Muscarinic receptor (CHRM5) influences cigarette dose but is not associated with dependence to drugs of addiction: evidence from a prospective population based cohort study of young adults

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 03-07-2007

DOI: 10.1186/1471-2156-8-46

Patterns of adolescent smoking and later nicotine dependence in young adults: A 10-year prospective study

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 02-2010

DOI: 10.1016/J.PUHE.2009.11.009

Abstract: There is considerable variability in progression from smoking initiation to established smoking. This paper addresses the extent to which different patterns of adolescent smoking, including periods of cessation, predict smoking status in young adults. Ten-year, eight-wave prospective cohort study of a state-wide community s le in Victoria, Australia. Participants were 1520 students from 44 secondary schools, initially aged 14 to 15 years. Adolescent smoking and quitting patterns were assessed during Waves 1-6 with self-reported frequency of use and a 7-day retrospective diary. The Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (ND) was used to assess ND at the age of 24 years (Wave 8). The prevalence of ND in young adults was 16.9% for all adolescent smokers, with prevalence rates of 6.8% and 26.7% for adolescent non-daily and daily adolescent smokers, respectively. Maximum smoking levels, onset of daily smoking, duration of smoking, escalation time and duration of cessation during adolescence predicted later ND. Daily smokers who ceased smoking for at least two waves (> or = 12 months) had a level of risk similar to adolescents who had never smoked. Quitting smoking as an adolescent substantially alters the risk for later ND. For adolescents who become daily smokers, quitting for 12 months should be the aim in tobacco control and clinical interventions.

Adolescent and young adult mental health problems and infant offspring behavior: Findings from a prospective intergenerational cohort study

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 07-2020

DOI: 10.1016/J.JAD.2020.03.101

From adolescence to parenthood: a multi-decade study of preconception mental health problems and postpartum parent–infant bonds

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 10-2022

DOI: 10.1007/S00127-020-01965-Y

Abstract: To examine associations between anxiety and depressive symptoms across adolescence and young adulthood with subsequent maternal- and paternal-infant bonding at 1 year postpartum. The data were from a prospective, intergenerational cohort study. Participants (381 mothers of 648 infants 277 fathers of 421 infants) self-reported depression and anxiety at three adolescent waves (ages 13, 15 and 17 years) and three young adult waves (ages 19, 23 and 27 years). Subsequent parent-infant bonds with infants were reported at 1 year postpartum (parent age 29-35 years). Generalised estimating equations (GEE) separately assessed associations for mothers and fathers. Mean postpartum bonding scores were approximately half a standard deviation lower in parents with a history of persistent adolescent and young adult depressive symptoms (maternal β Persistent symptoms of depression or anxiety spanning adolescence and young adulthood predict poorer emotional bonding with infants 1-year postbirth for both mothers and fathers.

Social network investment of men: Cross‐sectional and longitudinal associations with mental health problems

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 28-07-2023

DOI: 10.1111/APHW.12475

Abstract: Internationally, there is growing attention on links between social isolation and mental health problems. Here, we use unique Australian longitudinal data to investigate associations between adult men's ( n = 507 age M = 29.90, SD = 1.31) social network investments and their concurrent and subsequent mental health problems. In linear regressions, using generalised estimating equations (GEEs), we examined associations between social network investment (time with friends, network size and various activities with friends) and mental health symptoms (depression, anxiety and stress) across five timepoints. Models were adjusted for waves of outcome and potential confounders. Cross‐sectionally, each social network investment variable, except for drinking with friends, was negatively associated with depressive symptoms. Men's extended friendship network size and sharing a meal with friends were negatively associated with concurrent anxiety and stress. Time spent and physical activity with friends was also negatively associated with concurrent stress. In longitudinal analyses, after adjusting for prior depressive symptoms, only the number of friends in close and extended networks remained protective against depressive symptoms 1 year later. Results did not differ by fatherhood or relationship status. Programs designed to strengthen men's investment in social networks are recommended to reduce men's depressive symptoms.

Gene-environment interaction in problematic substance use: interaction between DRD4 and insecure attachments

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 29-11-2013

DOI: 10.1111/J.1369-1600.2011.00413.X

Abstract: To investigate the combined effect of an exon III variable number tandem repeat in the dopamine receptor gene (DRD4) and insecure attachment style on risk for tobacco, cannabis and alcohol use problems in young adulthood. It was hypothesized that (1) in iduals with 5, 6, 7 or 8 repeats (labelled 7R+) would be at increased risk for problematic drug use, and (2) risk for drug use would be further increased in in iduals with 7R+ repeats who also have a history of insecure parent-child attachment relations. Data were drawn from the Victorian Adolescent Health Cohort Study, an eight-wave longitudinal study of adolescent and young adult development. DRD4 genotypes were available for 839 participants. Risk attributable to the combined effects of 7R+ genotype and insecure attachments was evaluated within a sufficient causes framework under the assumptions of additive interaction using a two-by-four table format with a common reference group. 7R+ alleles were associated with higher tobacco, cannabis and alcohol use (binging). Insecure attachments were associated with higher tobacco and cannabis use but lower alcohol use. For tobacco, there was evidence of interaction for anxious but not avoidant attachments. For cannabis, there was evidence of interaction for both anxious and avoidant attachments, although the interaction for anxious attachments was more substantial. There is no evidence of interaction for binge drinking. Results are consistent with a generic reward deficit hypothesis of drug addiction for which the 7R+ disposition may play a role. Interaction between 7R+ alleles and attachment insecurity may intensify risk for problematic tobacco and cannabis use.

Protocol for a collaborative meta-analysis of 5-HTTLPR, stress, and depression

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 12-11-2013

DOI: 10.1186/1471-244X-13-304

Associations between parent-child relationship quality and obesogenic risk in adolescence: A systematic review of recent literature

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 29-04-2016

DOI: 10.1111/OBR.12413

Abstract: Adolescence is a period of significant cognitive, social and physiological change, presenting unique risk factors for weight gain. Childhood obesity research has traditionally focused on the influence of parent-level factors on children's eating and weight status. Increasingly, emphasis is turning towards the reciprocal nature of the parent-child relationship and its influence on health behaviour. A systematic literature review was conducted to investigate the relationship between parent-child relationship quality (defined as the felt emotional bond between parent and child) and obesogenic risk (weight status, eating attitudes and behaviours, level of physical activity and sedentary behaviour) in adolescence 26 papers were included in the review. The results neither support nor challenge an association between parent-child relationship quality and weight, with study design flaws and limited measurement of the parent-child relationship precluding robust conclusions. The review does however suggests that several aspects of the parent-child relationship are important in understanding eating attitudes and behaviours, including the felt emotional bond between the parent and child, the child's perception of how much the parent cares for them and the mother's sensitivity towards the child. The need for further longitudinal research into the association between parent-child relationship quality and obesity risk across this developmental period is discussed.

Maternal mental health and infant emotional reactivity: a 20-year two-cohort study of preconception and perinatal exposures.

Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)

Date: 10-04-2019

DOI: 10.1017/S0033291719000709

Abstract: Maternal mental health during pregnancy and postpartum predicts later emotional and behavioural problems in children. Even though most perinatal mental health problems begin before pregnancy, the consequences of preconception maternal mental health for children's early emotional development have not been prospectively studied. We used data from two prospective Australian intergenerational cohorts, with 756 women assessed repeatedly for mental health problems before pregnancy between age 13 and 29 years, and during pregnancy and at 1 year postpartum for 1231 subsequent pregnancies. Offspring infant emotional reactivity, an early indicator of differential sensitivity denoting increased risk of emotional problems under adversity, was assessed at 1 year postpartum. Thirty-seven percent of infants born to mothers with persistent preconception mental health problems were categorised as high in emotional reactivity, compared to 23% born to mothers without preconception history (adjusted OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.4–3.1). Ante- and postnatal maternal depressive symptoms were similarly associated with infant emotional reactivity, but these perinatal associations reduced somewhat after adjustment for prior exposure. Causal mediation analysis further showed that 88% of the preconception risk was a direct effect, not mediated by perinatal exposure. Maternal preconception mental health problems predict infant emotional reactivity, independently of maternal perinatal mental health while associations between perinatal depressive symptoms and infant reactivity are partially explained by prior exposure. Findings suggest that processes shaping early vulnerability for later mental disorders arise well before conception. There is an emerging case for expanding developmental theories and trialling preventive interventions in the years before pregnancy.

Maternal and partner prenatal alcohol use and infant cognitive development

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 04-2018

DOI: 10.1016/J.DRUGALCDEP.2017.12.038

Abstract: Teratogenicity of heavy prenatal alcohol exposure is established, but uncertainty remains regarding the impact of moderate alcohol exposure on cognitive deficits in infants. Separating in utero effects from environmental confounding is a challenge for observational studies consideration of alcohol use by partners as well as mothers may help clarify this. This study examined associations between prenatal alcohol use by both mothers and their partners and infant cognitive developmental outcomes at 12-months. Pregnant women (n = 1331) and their partners (n = 699) were recruited from antenatal clinics of three metropolitan public hospitals in Australia, and completed detailed interviews about alcohol consumptions throughout pregnancy. Infants were assessed with the Bayley Scales of Infant Development - Third edition (Bayley) at 12-months of age. Alcohol use during pregnancy was reported by 65.7% of mothers and 84.1% of partners. Using multiple methods to adjust for confounding factors, no evidence for impaired cognitive ability associated with alcohol use by mothers or their partners was observed. Children born to women who drank low-levels of alcohol had slightly higher Bayley cognitive scores than those born to abstaining women. There was some evidence for an interaction between sociodemographic factors and prenatal alcohol exposure on infant cognitive outcomes. This finding corroborates existing evidence to suggest there are no detrimental effects to infant cognitive development at 12-months of age following low-level prenatal alcohol exposure. Future prospective studies involving families of a broad range of backgrounds would be informative to clarify interaction between alcohol exposure and environmental factors on developmental outcomes.

Hidden in Plain Sight? Men's Coping Patterns and Psychological Distress Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Publisher: Frontiers Media SA

Date: 05-01-2022

DOI: 10.3389/FPSYT.2021.772942

Abstract: In iduals cope with stress using multiple strategies, yet studies of coping profiles are rare. We draw data from a longitudinal study of Australian men ( n = 272 30–37 years), assessed before (T1) and during (T2) a nation-wide COVID-19 lockdown. We aimed to: (1) identify men's multi-strategy coping profiles before and during the pandemic (2) assess cross-sectional (T1-T1, T2-T2) and prospective (T1-T2) associations between profiles and symptoms of psychological distress (stress, anxiety, depression, and anger) and (3) examine relationships between coping profiles and appraisals of pandemic-related stressors and options for coping. In latent profile analyses of 14 coping strategies, three profiles emerged that were largely consistent across T1 and T2: (1) Relaxed Copers (low use of all strategies), (2) Approach Copers, and (3) Dual Copers (high avoidant and moderate-high approach-oriented strategies). Compared to Relaxed and Approach Copers, men who were Dual Copers had elevated psychological distress cross-sectionally before (T1) and during (T2) the pandemic, but not prospectively. Post hoc analyses suggested this was because many men changed coping profiles in the context of the pandemic. Men with stable (T1-T2) or new (T2 only) Dual Coping profiles experienced greater psychological distress and more negative appraisals of pandemic stressors and options for coping. In sum, at the s le level, the composition of men's coping profiles and associations with mental health risk were relatively stable over time and contexts however, many men appeared to respond to pandemic conditions by changing coping profile groups, with mostly positive mental health outcomes. Of concern were men who adopted more avoidant strategies (e.g., denial, self-distraction, disengagement, substance use, and self-blame) under pandemic conditions. These Dual Coper men also engaged in commonly observable approach-oriented behaviours (e.g., planning, active coping, humour, seeking practical social support) that may mask their vulnerability to mental health risk. Our findings highlight the clinical importance of enquiring about escalating or frequent avoidant coping even in the presence of more active and interactive approach-oriented behaviours.

Early childhood social-emotional profiles associated with middle childhood internalizing and wellbeing

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 07-2021

DOI: 10.1016/J.APPDEV.2021.101301

Drinking patterns of adolescents who develop alcohol use disorders: Results from the Victorian Adolescent Health Cohort Study

Publisher: BMJ

Date: 02-2016

DOI: 10.1136/BMJOPEN-2015-010455

Association between Maternal Perinatal Depression and Anxiety and Child and Adolescent Development: A Meta-analysis

Publisher: American Medical Association (AMA)

Date: 11-2020

DOI: 10.1001/JAMAPEDIATRICS.2020.2910

Stability and Change in Positive Development During Young Adulthood

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 04-02-2011

DOI: 10.1007/S10964-011-9635-9

Abstract: Calls have been made for a greater focus on successful development and how positive functioning can be conceptualized in theory and empirical research. Drawing on a large Australian community s le (N = 890 61.7% female), this article examines the structure and stability of positive development at two time points during young adulthood. Previously, we developed and empirically tested a model of positive development at 19-20 years comprised of five first-order constructs (civic action and engagement, trust and tolerance of others, trust in authorities and organisations, social competence, and life satisfaction) and a second-order positive development construct. In the current study, we replicated this model at 23-24 years and found that it was again a good fit for the data, and was equally applicable for young men and women. Hence, positive development can be conceptualized according to five important dimensions at both ages. While variable-oriented tests suggested continuity in levels of positive development, person-oriented analyses revealed four distinct patterns of positive development over time-two reflecting stability (stable high [34.5%] and stable very low [11.6%]) and two characterized by change (low/average increasing [30.4%] and average decreasing [23.5%]). There were significant differences in the gender composition of these groups, with young women overrepresented in the more favourable groups. Thus, despite mean level stability, positive development is characterized by change for many young people, suggesting the importance of identifying factors that support young people's capacity for positive functioning over this transitional period. The current findings contribute to our understanding of the nature and course of positive development over this important period.

Alcohol consumption by breastfeeding mothers: Frequency, correlates and infant outcomes

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 13-03-2017

DOI: 10.1111/DAR.12473

Abstract: There is limited research regarding the effects of alcohol consumption by breastfeeding mothers on infant development. This study examined the frequency, correlates and outcomes of alcohol use during lactation. Data were from an Australian cohort study. Maternal demographics and substance use were assessed during pregnancy and at 8 weeks and 12 months postpartum. Breastfeeding duration, infant feeding, sleeping and development (Ages and Stages Questionnaire) were also assessed postpartum. Logistic regression and general linear model analyses examined characteristics of women who drank during breastfeeding, and the association between alcohol use during breastfeeding and infant outcomes. Alcohol use was reported by 60.7% and 69.6% of breastfeeding women at 8 weeks and 12 months postpartum, respectively. Breastfeeding women who consumed alcohol were more likely to be born in Australia or another English-speaking country, be tertiary educated and have higher household incomes. Most drank at low levels (≤14 standard drinks per week, <3 per occasion) and employed strategies (e.g. timing of alcohol use) to minimise alcohol passed onto infants via breastmilk. Alcohol consumption was unrelated to breastfeeding duration, infant feeding and sleeping behaviour at 8 weeks, and most infant developmental outcomes at 8 weeks or 12 months, after adjusting for confounders. The only significant association showed that infants whose mothers drank at 8 weeks postpartum had more favourable results for personal-social development at 12 months compared with those whose mothers abstained. Low level drinking during breastfeeding is not linked with shorter breastfeeding duration or adverse outcomes in infants up to 12 months of age. [Wilson J, Tay RY, McCormack C, Allsop S, Najman J, Burns L, Olsson CA, Elliott E, Jacobs S, Mattick RP, Hutchinson D. Alcohol consumption by breastfeeding mothers: Frequency, correlates and infant outcomes. Drug Alcohol Rev 2017 :000-000].

A comparison of penalised regression methods for informing the selection of predictive markers

Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)

Date: 20-11-2020

DOI: 10.1371/JOURNAL.PONE.0242730

Abstract: Penalised regression methods are a useful atheoretical approach for both developing predictive models and selecting key indicators within an often substantially larger pool of available indicators. In comparison to traditional methods, penalised regression models improve prediction in new data by shrinking the size of coefficients and retaining those with coefficients greater than zero. However, the performance and selection of indicators depends on the specific algorithm implemented. The purpose of this study was to examine the predictive performance and feature (i.e., indicator) selection capability of common penalised logistic regression methods (LASSO, adaptive LASSO, and elastic-net), compared with traditional logistic regression and forward selection methods. Data were drawn from the Australian Temperament Project, a multigenerational longitudinal study established in 1983. The analytic s le consisted of 1,292 (707 women) participants. A total of 102 adolescent psychosocial and contextual indicators were available to predict young adult daily smoking. Penalised logistic regression methods showed small improvements in predictive performance over logistic regression and forward selection. However, no single penalised logistic regression model outperformed the others. Elastic-net models selected more indicators than either LASSO or adaptive LASSO. Additionally, more regularised models included fewer indicators, yet had comparable predictive performance. Forward selection methods dismissed many indicators identified as important in the penalised logistic regression models. Although overall predictive accuracy was only marginally better with penalised logistic regression methods, benefits were most clear in their capacity to select a manageable subset of indicators. Preference to competing penalised logistic regression methods may therefore be guided by feature selection capability, and thus interpretative considerations, rather than predictive performance alone.

Sometimes It's Good to be Short: The Serotonin Transporter Gene, Positive Parenting, and Adolescent Depression

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 02-11-2019

DOI: 10.1111/CDEV.12987

Abstract: In threatening environments, the short (S) allele of 5-HTTLPR is proposed to augment risk for depression. However, it is unknown whether 5-HTTLPR variation increases risk for depression in environments of deprivation, lacking positive or nurturant features. Two independent longitudinal studies (n = 681 and 176, respectively) examined whether 5-HTTLPR moderated associations between low levels of positive parenting at 11-13 years and subsequent depression at 17-19 years. In both studies only LL homozygous adolescents were at greater risk for depression with decreasing levels of positive parenting. Thus, while the S allele has previously been identified as a susceptible genotype, these findings suggest that the L allele may also confer sensitivity to depression in the face of specific environmental challenges.

Negative reactivity and parental warmth in early adolescence and depressive symptoms in emerging adulthood

Publisher: Informa UK Limited

Date: 06-2017

DOI: 10.1111/AJPY.12129

Social and emotional adjustment following early pregnancy in young australian women: A comparison of those who terminate, miscarry, or complete pregnancy

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 06-2014

DOI: 10.1016/J.JADOHEALTH.2013.10.203

Abstract: To compare social and emotional adjustment including educational attainment and substance use in women who had a child, pregnancy termination, or miscarriage by young adulthood. Data were from a population-based longitudinal study of the health and well-being of 1,943 young Australians (Victorian Adolescent Health Cohort Study) followed from 15 to 24 years of age. The s le was restricted to female participants and based on pregnancies reported by age 24 years. Analyses were adjusted for early teenage depressive symptoms, cigarette smoking, alcohol use, cannabis use, and parent socioeconomic context. A total of 208 pregnancies (in 170 women) were reported from a s le of 824 young women by 24 years of age. Compared with those who had never been pregnant, those who had a child had lower tertiary education completion and a higher risk of nicotine dependence those who terminated a pregnancy were more commonly single and had a higher risk of smoking and alcohol use as well as nicotine and alcohol dependence and those who had a miscarriage had a higher risk of depressive symptomatology and binge drinking as well as nicotine and cannabis dependence. Young women who have been pregnant by their mid-twenties report a range of difficulties in social and emotional adjustment that vary across the different pregnancy outcomes. Broad-based psychosocial health care is essential not only for young women whose pregnancies proceed to live birth, but also for those whose pregnancies end with miscarriage or induced abortion.

Effects of racism and discrimination on mental health among young people in Victoria, Australia, during COVID‐19 lockdown

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 17-08-2023

DOI: 10.1002/AJS4.278

Abstract: Racism and discrimination are fundamental determinants of health inequities, with young people particularly vulnerable. Since the onset of the global COVID‐19 pandemic in 2020, reports of racism and discrimination rose sharply. This study examined direct discrimination, vicarious racial discrimination, heightened vigilance, worries about experiencing racial discrimination, COVID‐19‐related stressors and their associations with young people's mental health during COVID‐19 lockdown in 2020. A community‐based, cross‐sectional online survey collected data from 363 young people aged 16–24 years living in Victoria, Australia, of whom 45.3% self‐identified as being from a multicultural background and 3.7% as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. 73.7% reported direct discrimination, 88.9% reported vicarious racial discrimination, 84.3% reported heightened vigilance, and 62.8% reported worries about experiencing racial discrimination. Half (51.3%) of the participants experienced one or two COVID‐19‐related stressors. 53.1% of participants reported moderate‐to‐high levels of distress or negative mood state. Experiences of direct discrimination, vicarious racial discrimination, heightened vigilance, worries about experiencing racial discrimination and multiple COVID‐19‐related stressors (3+) were associated with negative mood state, after adjusting for ethnicity, age, gender and socioeconomic position. Addressing racism and discrimination is critical to addressing health inequities for young people.

The role of antenatal and postnatal maternal bonding in infant development: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 14-08-2020

DOI: 10.1111/SODE.12392

A method for monthly mapping of wet and dry snow using Sentinel-1 and MODIS: Application to a Himalayan river basin

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 02-2019

DOI: 10.1016/J.JAG.2018.09.011

Predictors of Positive Development in Emerging Adulthood

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 09-10-2010

DOI: 10.1007/S10964-010-9593-7

Abstract: This article responds to recent calls for a focus on successful development in young people and examination of its developmental precursors, in order to identify potentially modifiable targets for interventions. The current study examined child and adolescent precursors of positive functioning in emerging adulthood, including in idual characteristics, relationship factors, and connections to the community, using a multidimensional positive development measure at 19-20 years. The s le consisted of 511 males and 647 females who were participants in the Australian Temperament Project, a population based longitudinal study that has followed young people's psychosocial adjustment from infancy to early adulthood. Higher levels of positive development in emerging adulthood were associated with stronger family and peer relationships, better adjustment to the school setting, higher family socioeconomic status, and better emotional control. Some significant gender differences were observed, with emotional control, family relationships, and community orientation all being stronger predictors of males' than of females' positive development. The findings provide possible targets for child and adolescent interventions to promote positive development in early adulthood.

The natural history of risky drinking and associated harms from adolescence to young adulthood: findings from the Australian Temperament Project

Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)

Date: 28-09-2017

DOI: 10.1017/S0033291717000654

Abstract: We aimed to describe the natural history of heavy episodic drinking (HED) and associated harms from adolescence to young adulthood in a large Australian population cohort study. The Australian Temperament Project consists of mothers and babies (4–8 months) recruited from Infant Welfare Centres and followed every 2 to 4 years until age 28 years. Analyses were based on data from 1156 young people (497 male 659 female) surveyed repeatedly at ages 16, 18, 20, 24 and 28 years. We used dual processes latent class growth analysis to estimate trajectories of HED and associated harms, employing a piecewise approach to model the hypothesized rise and subsequent fall across adolescence and the late twenties, respectively. We identified four sex-specific trajectories and observed little evidence of maturing-out across the twenties. In males, a normative pattern of increasing HED across the twenties with little related harm was observed (40% of the male s le). Early and late starter groups that peaked in harms at age 20 years with only minor attenuation in binging thereafter were also observed (6.1% and 35%, respectively). In females, a normative pattern of increasing, but moderate, HED with little related harm was observed (44% of the female s le). Early and late starter groups were also identified (18% and 17%, respectively) however, unlike males, the female late starter group showed a pattern of increasing HED and related harms. Continued patterns of risky alcohol use and related harms are apparent for both males and females across the twenties.

Associations between dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) levels, pituitary volume, and social anxiety in children

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 02-2016

DOI: 10.1016/J.PSYNEUEN.2015.11.004

Abstract: Early timing of adrenarche, associated with relatively high levels of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and its sulphate (DHEA-S) in children, has been linked with mental health problems, particularly anxiety. However, little is known about possible neurobiological mechanisms underlying this association. The pituitary gland is a key component of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, the activation of which triggers the onset of adrenarche. The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which pituitary gland volume mediated the relationship between levels of DHEA/DHEA-S relative to age (i.e., adrenarcheal timing) and symptoms of anxiety in 95 children (50 female, M age 9.50 years, SD 0.34 years). Relatively high DHEA and DHEA-S (DHEA/S) levels were found to be associated with larger pituitary gland volumes. There was no significant direct effect of relative DHEA/S levels on overall symptoms of anxiety. However, results supported an indirect link between relatively high DHEA/S levels and symptoms of social anxiety, mediated by pituitary gland volume. No sex differences were observed for any relationship. Our findings suggest that neurobiological mechanisms may be partly responsible for the link between relatively early adrenarche and anxiety symptoms in children. One possible mechanism for this finding is that an enlarged pituitary gland in children experiencing relatively advanced adrenarche might be associated with hyper-activity/reactivity of the HPA axis. Further research is needed to understand the role of stress in the link between adrenarcheal timing and HPA-axis function, especially in relation to the development of anxiety symptoms in children and adolescents.

COMT Val¹⁵⁸Met and 5HTTLPR functional loci interact to predict persistence of anxiety across adolescence: Results from the Victorian Adolescent Health Cohort Study

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 28-02-2007

DOI: 10.1111/J.1601-183X.2007.00313.X

Maternal Bonding through Pregnancy and Postnatal: Findings from an Australian Longitudinal Study

Publisher: Georg Thieme Verlag KG

Date: 17-02-2017

DOI: 10.1055/S-0037-1599052

Abstract: Background Mother-infant bonding provides the foundation for secure attachment through the lifespan and organizes many facets of infant social-emotional development, including later parenting. Aims To describe maternal bonding to offspring across the pregnancy and postnatal periods, and to examine a broad range of sociodemographic and psychosocial predictors of the maternal-offspring bond. Methods Data were drawn from a s le of 372 pregnant women participating in an Australian population-based longitudinal study of postnatal health and development. Participants completed maternal bonding questionnaires at each trimester and 8 weeks postnatal. Data were collected on a range of sociodemographic and psychosocial factors. Results Bonding increased significantly through pregnancy, in quality and intensity. Regression analyses indicated that stronger antenatal bonding at all time points (trimesters 1 through 3) predicted stronger postnatal bonding. Older maternal age, birth mother being born in a non-English speaking country, mother not working full time, being a first-time mother, breast-feeding problems, and baby's crying behavior all predicted poorer bonding at 8 weeks postpartum. Conclusion These novel findings have important implications for pregnant women and their infant offspring, and for health care professionals working in perinatal services. Importantly, interventions to strengthen maternal-fetal bonding would be beneficial during pregnancy to enhance postnatal bonding and infant health outcomes.

Multilevel Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Bioecological Systems Perspective of Parent and Child Experiences

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 04-07-2023

DOI: 10.1007/S10566-023-09761-W

Abstract: The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and associated public health restrictions created unprecedented challenges for parents and their young dependent children. While psycho-social impacts of natural disasters on families are well studied, a typography of parent specific concerns in the COVID-19 context was yet to be articulated. Using a bioecological systems framework, we adopted a mixed-methods research design to examine parents’ core concerns about the impacts of the pandemic on themselves and their children, testing for differences in concern foci of mothers compared with fathers. Data were drawn from the Australian Temperament Project Generation 3 (ATPG3) study, a prospective study of children born to a 40-year population-based cohort. During enforced COVID-19 lockdown restrictions between May to September 2020, ATPG3 parents ( n = 516) were surveyed about their own and their children’s functioning in the context of the pandemic. Subject of qualitative content analysis, parents ( n = 192) experiencing wellbeing concerns offered additional free-text responses about the nature of stress impacting themselves and their child/ren. Parents reported far-reaching impacts for themselves and their children across multiple bioecological systems. Core concerns were for emotional rather than physical health, specifically, for parents this was represented by increased levels of anxiety and stress, and for children, these impacts were notable from a developmental perspective. Greater frequency of parenting related concern was expressed by mothers in comparison to fathers. Findings demonstrate the complex and interrelated nature of multi-systemic and gendered stressors impacting parents during the pandemic, and importantly point to modifiable risk factors which may inform early risk detection efforts.

How can data harmonisation benefit mental health research? An example of the Cannabis Cohorts Research Consortium

Publisher: SAGE Publications

Date: 06-03-2015

DOI: 10.1177/0004867415571169

The natural history of self-harm from adolescence to young adulthood: A population-based cohort study

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 2012

DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(11)61141-0

A Role for the DRD4 Exon III VNTR in Modifying the Association Between Nicotine Dependence and Neuroticism

Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)

Date: 02-12-2011

DOI: 10.1093/NTR/NTQ210

Abstract: Neurotic psychopathology has been extensively examined as a risk factor for nicotine dependence (ND). Genetic stratification may partially explain variability in risk estimates. Genetic variants that compromise dopaminergic neurotransmission may motivate exposure to dopamine-stimulating agents, including nicotine. The 7-repeat allele of a Variable Number Tandem Repeat (VNTR) polymorphism in DRD4 (and evolutionary derivatives 5, 6, and 8 repeats 7R+) is associated with reduced dopamine receptor function. The purpose of this study was to examine association between both smoking initiation (SI) and progression to ND by young adulthood and (a) history of neuroticism during adolescence, (b) DRD4 7R+, and (c) interaction between neuroticism and DRD4 7R+. Participants were drawn from the Victorian Adolescent Health Cohort Study, a longitudinal study of the health and well-being of young Australians across 8 waves (14-24 years). Neuroticism was measured at Waves 3 and 6 (mean 15.9 and 17.4 years). SI was defined as any smoking at any wave. ND was measured at Wave 8 (mean 24.1 years). Genotype data for the DRD4 VNTR were available for 839 participants. While adolescent neuroticism was associated with SI, evidence for association with progression to ND was weak. However, there was evidence of interaction between neuroticism and DRD4 7R+: The odds of progression to ND among those with a history of neuroticism were more than 3.5-fold higher among 7R+ carriers. Without considering stratification by 7R+, the association between progression to ND and neuroticism would have been assumed barely significant. However, among those carrying DRD4 7R+, risk of progression was considerably intensified.

Identification and genetic determination of an early life risk disposition for depressive disorder: Atypical stress-related behaviour in early childhood

Publisher: Informa UK Limited

Date: 03-2011

DOI: 10.1111/J.1742-9536.2011.00002.X

The Development of a Living Knowledge System and Implications for Future Systematic Searching

Publisher: Informa UK Limited

Date: 03-07-2022

DOI: 10.1080/24750158.2022.2087954

Predictors of postnatal mother-infant bonding: the role of antenatal bonding, maternal substance use and mental health

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 11-02-2016

DOI: 10.1007/S00737-016-0602-Z

Abstract: The emotional bond that a mother feels towards her baby is critical to social, emotional and cognitive development. Maternal health and wellbeing through pregnancy and antenatal bonding also play a key role in determining bonding postnatally, but the extent to which these relationships may be disrupted by poor mental health or substance use is unclear. This study aimed to examine the extent to which mother-fetal bonding, substance use and mental health through pregnancy predicted postnatal mother-infant bonding at 8 weeks. Participants were 372 women recruited from three metropolitan hospitals in Australia. Data was collected during trimesters one, two and three of pregnancy and 8 weeks postnatal using the Maternal Antenatal Attachment Scale (MAAS), Maternal Postnatal Attachment Scale (MPAS), the Edinburgh Antenatal and Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), the Depression and Anxiety Scales (DASS-21), frequency and quantity of substance use (caffeine, alcohol and tobacco) as well as a range of demographic and postnatal information. Higher antenatal bonding predicted higher postnatal bonding at all pregnancy time-points in a fully adjusted regression model. Maternal depressive symptoms in trimesters two and three and stress in trimester two were inversely related to poorer mother-infant bonding 8 weeks postnatally. This study extends previous work on the mother's felt bond to her developing child by drawing on a large s le of women and documenting the pattern of this bond at three time points in pregnancy and at 8 weeks postnatally. Utilising multiple antenatal waves allowed precision in isolating the relationships in pregnancy and at key intervention points. Investigating methods to enhance bonding and intervene in pregnancy is needed. It is also important to assess maternal mental health through pregnancy.

Relationships between problematic alcohol consumption and delinquent behaviour from adolescence to young adulthood

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 23-10-2015

DOI: 10.1111/DAR.12345

Abstract: Heavy episodic drinking (HED) has been associated with increased risk for short- and long-term injury and harms, such as violence and delinquent behaviour however, the temporal relationship between the two remains unclear, particularly on transition to young adulthood. This study investigates transactional pathways between HED and delinquent behaviour from adolescence to emerging adulthood. Data were drawn from the Australian Temperament Project a population-based longitudinal study that has followed the health and development of participants (and parents) across 30 years from birth in 1982. The analytic s le was 1650 participants and included five measurement waves spanning adolescence (3 waves: 13-18 years) and young adulthood (2 waves 19-24 years). There was strong continuity across waves of both HED and delinquency, as well as across-time associations between them. Delinquent behaviour in adolescence was associated with up to twofold increases in the odds of HED at each subsequent adolescent wave. HED in the late teens was associated with over fourfold increases in the odds of persistent (two waves) HED in young adulthood. HED in the late teens was associated with increases in the odds of delinquent behaviour in young adulthood (over twofold for male and one and a half-fold for female participants). While delinquent behaviour predicts both future HED and future delinquent behaviour in adolescence, once young people reach the legal drinking age of 18 years, HED becomes a predictor of current and future delinquent behaviour and future HED, suggesting that increased access to alcohol increases the likelihood of young people engaging in delinquent behaviour. [Miller PG, Butler E, Richardson B, Staiger PK, Youssef GJ, Macdonald JA, Sanson A, Edwards B, Olsson CA. Relationships between problematic alcohol consumption and delinquent behaviour from adolescence to young adulthood. Drug Alcohol Rev 2016 :317-325].

Natural history of mental health competence from childhood to adolescence

Publisher: BMJ

Date: 16-08-2021

DOI: 10.1136/JECH-2021-216761

Abstract: Mental health competence (MHC) involves psychosocial capabilities such as regulating emotions, interacting well with peers and caring for others, and predicts a range of health and social outcomes. This study examines the course of MHC from childhood to adolescence and patterning by gender and disadvantage, in Australian and UK contexts. Data: Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (n=4983) and the Millennium Cohort Study (n=18 296). Measures: A measure capturing key aspects of MHC was derived summing items from the parent-reported Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, assessed at 4–5 years, 6–7 years, 10–11 years and 14–15 years. Analysis: Proportions of children with high MHC (scores ≥23 of range 8–24) were estimated by age and country. Random-effects models were used to define MHC trajectories according to baseline MHC and change over time. Sociodemographic patterns were described. The prevalence of high MHC steadily increased from 4 years to 15 years (from 13.6% to 15.8% and 20.6% to 26.2% in Australia and the UK, respectively). Examination of trajectories revealed that pathways of some children erge from this normative MHC progression. For ex le, 7% and 9% of children in Australia and the UK, respectively, had a low starting point and decreased further in MHC by mid-adolescence. At all ages, and over time, MHC was lower for boys compared with girls and for children from disadvantaged compared with advantaged family backgrounds. Approaches to promoting MHC require a sustained focus from the early years through to adolescence, with more intensive approaches likely needed to support disadvantaged groups and boys.

The nature and management of metastatic melanoma after progression on braf inhibitors: Effects of extended BRAF inhibition

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 07-2014

DOI: 10.1002/CNCR.28851

Abstract: The v-raf murine sarcoma viral oncogene homolog B (BRAF) inhibitor (BRAFi) drugs dabrafenib and vemurafenib have high response rates in BRAF-mutant, metastatic melanoma however, 50% of patients progress by 7 months. In this study, the authors examined the nature and management of disease progression (PD) on BRAFi treatment, including characteristics and outcomes of patients who received continued BRAFi treatment beyond disease progression (TBP). Clinicopathologic data at baseline and at the time of PD were collected for all patients with BRAF-mutant metastatic melanoma who received BRAFi monotherapy within clinical trials between July 2009 and September 2012. Management and survival after PD were examined, including continued BRAFi TBP (> 28 days beyond Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumor [RECIST]-defined PD). Ninety-five of 114 BRAFi-treated patients had PD. Fifty-three of those 95 patients (56%) progressed in extracranial sites alone, 18% (17 of 95 patients) progressed in intracranial and extracranial sites simultaneously, and 16% (15 of 95 patients) progressed in intracranial sites alone. Twenty-nine of the 95 patients (31%) who had PD progressed in a single site or organ, 48% (46 of 95 patients) progressed in existing metastases only, and 18% (17 of 95 patients) had new metastases alone. At the time of PD, 35 of 95 patients (37%) received no subsequent systemic treatment, 20% (19 of 95 patients) changed systemic treatments, and 39% (37 of 95 patients) continued BRAFi TBP for a median of 97 days. BRAFi TBP and known prognostic factors (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, lactate dehydrogenase, RECIST sum of the greatest dimensions of target lesions) were associated with overall survival (OS) from the time of PD however, in multivariable analysis, BRAFi TBP improved OS (hazard ratio, 0.50 95% confidence interval, 0.27-0.93 P = .029). Most BRAFi-treated patients progressed in existing extracranial sites, and 31% progressed in isolated sites. Compared with cessation, continued BRAFi TBP is associated with prolonged OS even after adjusting for potential prognostic factors at PD.

Factor structure of the Mini-Maternal Behavior Q-Sort and associations with infant attachment: Informing precision in research and intervention.

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 04-11-2022

DOI: 10.1111/INFA.12513

Abstract: We examined the factor structure of parental sensitivity to infants as assessed by the Mini-Maternal Behavior Q-Sort (Mini-MBQS), a 25-item short-form of the original 90-item MBQS. We aimed to: (1) identify latent factors of the Mini-MBQS and (2) validate each factor by testing associations with infant attachment classifications. Data on parent-infant dyads (n = 313 222 mothers with 281 children, 29 fathers with 32 children) were drawn from a three-generation Australian cohort study. Exploratory Factor Analysis and Exploratory Structural Equation Modelling examined the structure of the Mini-MBQS. Two latent Mini-MBQS factors were identified, requiring 8 of 25 original items: (1) Attention and Responsiveness and (2) Contingency in Interactions. Infants with insecure attachment classifications had parents with lower sensitivity across both factors relative to infants classified secure. In particular, infants with resistant attachment classifications had parents with notably low Contingency in Interactions scores. Infants with disorganised attachment classifications had parents with the lowest relative sensitivity across both factors, and in these dyads Attention and Responsiveness scores were especially low. Results provide an empirically derived factor structure for the Mini-MBQS. Two subscales, each with significant infant attachment associations, may improve precision in clinical intervention and research translation.

Young adult sequelae of adolescent cannabis use: An integrative analysis

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 09-2014

DOI: 10.1016/S2215-0366(14)70307-4

Association Between Adolescent Eudaimonic Behaviours and Emotional Competence in Young Adulthood

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 23-08-2013

DOI: 10.1007/S10902-013-9469-0

How Will Information About the Genetic Risk of Mental Disorders Impact on Stigma?

Publisher: SAGE Publications

Date: 2008

DOI: 10.1080/00048670701827226

Abstract: Objectives: To suggest ways of testing hypotheses about the impact that information on genetic risk may have on the social stigma of mental disorders and to analyse the implications of these hypotheses for genetic screening for mental disorders. Method: Literature review and critical analysis and synthesis. Results: An optimistic view is that information on the genetic risk for mental disorders will reduce blame and social stigma experienced by in iduals living with mental disorder. A more pessimists view is that genetic risk information and the use of predictive genetic testing will lead to earlier stigmatization of those at risk of mental disorders. Research is identified that is needed to provide a better understanding of the implications of predictive genetic testing for the stigmatization of different mental health disorders. Conclusions: It is essential that research on the genetics of mental disorders is accompanied by social science research on the ways in which genetic findings influence the lives of those who are tested.

Eating and Body Image Disturbances in Adolescence and Substance Use Throughout Young Adulthood: Findings from the Australian Temperament Project

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 09-02-2023

DOI: 10.1007/S11469-023-01023-Z

Abstract: We investigated whether eating and body image disturbances in mid-adolescence were associated with substance use in young adulthood. Participants ( n = 1566) completed the drive for thinness, bulimic behavior, and body dissatisfaction subscales from the Eating Disorder Inventory during adolescence (15–16 years), and reported frequencies of substance use (tobacco, cannabis, binge drinking, other illicit substances) across young adulthood (19–20, 23–24, and 27–28 years). Adolescent body dissatisfaction was associated with a 10% increase in the rate of binge drinking and tobacco smoking, with effects being of similar magnitude in men and women, and across young adulthood. The association between bulimic behavior and tobacco smoking was strongest in the earlier years of young adulthood (19–20 years). Relationships between cannabis use, bulimic behavior, and body dissatisfaction were evident in men only. Findings highlight important targets for prevention programs, as well as focused monitoring efforts to identify in iduals at risk of later substance use.

Study Protocol for the COVID-19 Pandemic Adjustment Survey (CPAS): A Longitudinal Study of Australian Parents of a Child 0–18 Years

Publisher: Frontiers Media SA

Date: 31-08-2020

DOI: 10.3389/FPSYT.2020.555750

Parental personality and early life ecology: a prospective cohort study from preconception to postpartum

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 27-02-2023

DOI: 10.1038/S41598-023-29139-1

Abstract: Personality reliably predicts life outcomes ranging from social and material resources to mental health and interpersonal capacities. However, little is known about the potential intergenerational impact of parent personality prior to offspring conception on family resources and child development across the first thousand days of life. We analysed data from the Victorian Intergenerational Health Cohort Study (665 parents, 1030 infants est. 1992), a two-generation study with prospective assessment of preconception background factors in parental adolescence, preconception personality traits in young adulthood (agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, extraversion, and openness), and multiple parental resources and infant characteristics in pregnancy and after the birth of their child. After adjusting for pre-exposure confounders, both maternal and paternal preconception personality traits were associated with numerous parental resources and attributes in pregnancy and postpartum, as well as with infant biobehavioural characteristics. Effect sizes ranged from small to moderate when considering parent personality traits as continuous exposures, and from small to large when considering personality traits as binary exposures. Young adult personality, well before offspring conception, is associated with the perinatal household social and financial context, parental mental health, parenting style and self-efficacy, and temperamental characteristics of offspring. These are pivotal aspects of early life development that ultimately predict a child’s long-term health and development.

Father trait anger and associations with father–infant bonding and caregiving: The mediating role of mentalizing

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 06-07-2023

DOI: 10.1111/FAMP.12912

Abstract: Trait anger reflects a tendency to feel irritation, annoyance, and rage, and involves a narrowing of cognition and attention. This narrowed scope may impact the capacity to understand the mental states of oneself and others (mentalizing), which for fathers of infants may compromise bonding and caregiving involvement. Here, we investigated the extent to which mentalizing mediated the relationship between father trait anger and both father–infant bonding and father involvement in infant caregiving. Data were from 168 fathers ( M = 30.04 years of age, SD = 1.36) of 190 infants ( M = 7.58 months of age, SD = 5.06) in the longitudinal Men and Parenting Pathways (MAPP) study. We assessed fathers' preconception trait anger at Wave 1 and their mentalizing 2 years later at Wave 3. At Waves 3, 4, and/or 5, we assessed father–infant bonding and father involvement in infant caregiving when men had an infant younger than 18 months of age. Associations were examined using path analysis. Poorer mentalizing fully mediated the relationship between preconception trait anger and father–infant bonding (total score), but not involvement in infant caregiving. Further, poorer mentalizing fully mediated the relationships between trait anger and each component of the father–infant bond (i.e., patience and tolerance, affection and pride, and pleasure in interactions). Findings suggest that for men high on trait anger, targeted interventions that facilitate mentalizing capacities may help to develop a foundation for a strong father–infant bond. Interventions may be offered on becoming a father (perinatal), or prior to becoming a father (preconception) to prevent future bonding problems.

A study protocol for community implementation of a new mental health monitoring system spanning early childhood to young adulthood

Publisher: Bristol University Press

Date: 07-2023

DOI: 10.1332/175795921X16599509057666

Abstract: Findings from longitudinal research, globally, repeatedly emphasise the importance of taking an early life course approach to mental health promotion one that invests in the formative years of development, from early childhood to young adulthood, just prior to the transition to parenthood for most. While population monitoring systems have been developed for this period, they are typically designed for use within discrete stages (i.e., childhood or adolescent or young adulthood). No system has yet captured development across all ages and stages (i.e., from infancy through to young adulthood). Here we describe the development, and pilot implementation, of a new Australian Comprehensive Monitoring System (CMS) designed to address this gap by measuring social and emotional development (strengths and difficulties) across eight census surveys, separated by three yearly intervals (infancy, 3-, 6-, 9- 12-, 15-, 18 and 21 years). The system also measures the family, school, peer, digital and community social climates in which children and young people live and grow. Data collection is community-led and built into existing, government funded, universal services (Maternal Child Health, Schools and Local Learning and Employment Networks) to maximise response rates and ensure sustainability. The first system test will be completed and evaluated in rural Victoria, Australia, in 2022. CMS will then be adapted for larger, more socio-economically erse regional and metropolitan communities, including Australian First Nations communities. The aim of CMS is to guide community-led investments in mental health promotion from early childhood to young adulthood, setting secure foundations for the next generation.

Exploring a causal model in observational cohort data: The role of parents and peers in shaping substance use trajectories

Publisher: Center for Open Science

Date: 06-08-2020

DOI: 10.31234/OSF.IO/7V4SQ

Abstract: Aims: To explore the process of applying counterfactual thinking in examining causal predictors of substance use trajectories in observational cohort data. Specifically, we examine the extent to which quality of the parent-adolescent relationship and affiliations with deviant peers are causally related to trajectories of alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis use across adolescence and into young adulthood. Methods: Data were drawn from the Australian Temperament Project, a population-based cohort study that has followed a s le of young Australians from infancy to adulthood since 1983. Parent-adolescent relationship quality and deviant peer affiliations were assessed at age 13-14 years. Latent curve models were fitted for past month alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis use (n = 1,590) from age 15-16 to 27-28 years (5 waves). Confounding factors were selected in line with the counterfactual framework. Results: Following confounder adjustment, higher quality parent-adolescent relationships were associated with lower baseline cannabis use, but not alcohol or tobacco use trajectories. In contrast, affiliations with deviant peers were associated with higher baseline binge drinking, tobacco, and cannabis use, and an earlier peak in the cannabis use trajectory. Conclusions: Confounding adjustments weakened several estimated associations and the interpretation of such associations as causal is not without limitations. Nevertheless, findings suggested causal effects of both parent-adolescent relationships and deviant peer affiliations on the trajectory of substance use. Causal effects were however more pervasive (i.e., more substance types) and protracted for deviant peer affiliations. The current study encourages the exploration of causal relationships in observational cohort data, when relevant limitations are transparently acknowledged.

Parent and child mental health trajectories April 2020 to May 2021: Strict lockdown versus no lockdown in Australia

Publisher: SAGE Publications

Date: 21-12-2021

DOI: 10.1177/00048674211065365

Abstract: To control a second-wave COVID-19 outbreak, the state of Victoria in Australia experienced one of the world’s first long and strict lockdowns over July–October 2020, while the rest of Australia experienced ‘COVID-normal’ with minimal restrictions. We (1) investigate trajectories of parent/child mental health outcomes in Victoria vs non-Victoria and (2) identify baseline demographic, in idual and COVID-19-related factors associated with mental health trajectories. Online community s le of 2004 Australian parents with rapid repeated assessment over 14 time-points over April 2020 to May 2021. Measures assessed parent mental health (Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales-21), child depression symptoms (13-item Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire) and child anxiety symptoms (four items from Brief Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale). Mental health trajectories shadowed COVID-19 infection rates. Victorians reported a peak in mental health symptoms at the time of the second-wave lockdown compared to other states. Key baseline predictors, including parent and child loneliness (standardized regression coefficient [β] = 0.09–0.46), parent/child diagnoses (β = 0.07–0.21), couple conflict (β = 0.07–0.18) and COVID-19 stressors, such as worry/concern about COVID-19, illness and loss of job (β = 0.12–0.15), predicted elevated trajectories. Effects of predictors on parent and child mental health trajectories are illustrated in an online interactive app for readers ( lingtax.shinyapps.io/CPAS_trend/ ). Our findings provide evidence of worse trajectories of parent and child mental health symptoms at a time coinciding with a second COVID-19 outbreak involving strict lockdown in Victoria, compared to non-locked states in Australia. We identified several baseline factors that may be useful in detecting high-risk families who are likely to require additional support early on in future lockdowns.

Linking the serotonin transporter gene, family environments, hippocampal volume and depression onset: A prospective imaging gene X environment analysis

Publisher: American Psychological Association (APA)

Date: 11-2015

DOI: 10.1037/ABN0000101

Abstract: A single imaging gene-environment (IGxE) framework that is able to simultaneously model genetic, neurobiological, and environmental influences on psychopathology outcomes is needed to improve understanding of how complex interrelationships between allelic variation, differences in neuroanatomy or neuroactivity, and environmental experience affect risk for psychiatric disorder. In a longitudinal study of adolescent development we demonstrate the utility of such an IGxE framework by testing whether variation in parental behavior at age 12 altered the strength of an imaging genetics pathway, involving an indirect association between allelic variation in the serotonin transporter gene to variation in hippoc al volume and consequent onset of major depressive disorder by age 18. Results were consistent with the presence of an indirect effect of the serotonin transporter S-allele on depression onset via smaller left and right hippoc al volumes that was significant only in family environments involving either higher levels of parental aggression or lower levels of positive parenting. The previously reported finding of S-allele carriers' increased risk of depression in adverse environments may, therefore, be partly because of the effects of these environments on a neurobiological pathway from the serotonin transporter gene to depression onset that proceeds through variation in hippoc al volume.

Parental mental health before and during pregnancy and offspring birth outcomes: A 20-year preconception cohort of maternal and paternal exposure

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 10-2020

DOI: 10.1016/J.ECLINM.2020.100564

Parenting orientations in young adulthood: Predicting timing of parenthood and quality of postpartum caregiving.

Publisher: American Psychological Association (APA)

Date: 04-2023

DOI: 10.1037/PSPP0000451

Abstract: Most but not all adults become parents, yet it remains unclear which characteristics indicate an orientation toward parenting. The aims of this study were to (a) distinguish profiles of in idual and interpersonal resources in young adults that may orient them toward parenthood and (b) investigate whether profiles predicted timing of entering parenthood, postpartum parenting behavior, and parent-infant bonding. Participants were 1,429 young people (53% female) enrolled in an Australian 39-year longitudinal study. Predictor data for latent profile analysis were collected at 23-24 and 27-28 years. Parenthood timing was designated as "early" ≤ 25 years, "on-time" > 25 years, and "not a parent" by age 37 years. Parenting outcomes were assessed at 12 months postpartum in 684 parents of 1,144 children. Four-profile classes were identified: "connected" (

Exploring Perinatal Indicators of Infant Social-Emotional Development: A Review of the Replicated Evidence

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 14-06-2021

DOI: 10.1007/S10567-021-00356-2

Nicotine dependence in a prospective population-based study of adolescents: The protective role of a functional tyrosine hydroxylase polymorphism

Publisher: Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)

Date: 02-2004

DOI: 10.1097/00008571-200402000-00001

Abstract: Dopamine is a key neurotransmitter of the mesolimbic reward pathway in the human brain, and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) is the rate-limiting enzyme in dopamine biosynthesis. Consequently, the gene encoding TH is a strong candidate for involvement in the genetic component of addiction. The importance of this gene in nicotine dependence is supported by many studies showing a link between nicotine administration and TH expression. A functional tetranucleotide repeat polymorphism within intron 1 of the TH gene (HUMTH01-VNTR) has been shown to modify tobacco use in two independent Caucasian s les from the USA and Australia. Using information drawn from an eight-wave Australian population-based longitudinal study of adolescent health, we tested the effect of the HUMTH01-VNTR on nicotine dependence. Comparisons were made between dependent smokers and non-dependent smokers. These data provide further support for a protective association between the K4 allele and dependent smoking (odds ratio 0.54, 95% confidence interval 0.28-1.0). No associations were observed at any of three other common TH polymorphisms (rs6356, rs6357 and HUMTH01-PstI). Including these data, three independent studies, two of which use identical phenotypes, have now identified a protective relationship between the K4 allele of the functional HUMTH01-VNTR polymorphism and high-level smoking.

The prognosis of common mental disorders in adolescents: A 14-year prospective cohort study

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 04-2014

DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(13)62116-9

Maternal bonding, negative affect, and infant social-emotional development: A prospective cohort study

Publisher: Center for Open Science

Date: 03-08-2020

DOI: 10.31219/OSF.IO/KA6VM

Abstract: The interrelationships between maternal bonding, negative affect, and infant social-emotional development were examined using multi-wave perinatal data from an Australian cohort study (N = 1,579). Self-reported bonding and negative affect were assessed at each trimester, and 8 weeks and 12 months postpartum. The Bayley-III social-emotional scale was administered at age 12 months. Results revealed strong continuities in bonding and negative affect across pregnancy and postpartum. Small associations (β = -.10 to -.20) existed between maternal negative affect during pregnancy and poor early bonding. Higher postnatal maternal bonding predicted infant social-emotional development (β = .17). Maternal bonding and negative affect are interrelated yet unique constructs, with suggested developmental interplay between mother-to-infant bonding and infant social-affective development.

Associations Between Positive Development in Late Adolescence and Social, Health, and Behavioral Outcomes in Young Adulthood

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 20-12-2012

DOI: 10.1007/S10804-011-9137-8

Developmental antecedents of abnormal eating attitudes and behaviors in adolescence

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 21-07-2014

DOI: 10.1002/EAT.22331

Abstract: This study capitalizes on developmental data from an Australian population-based birth cohort to identify developmental markers of abnormal eating attitudes and behaviors in adolescence. The aims were twofold: (1) to develop a comprehensive path model identifying infant and childhood developmental correlates of Abnormal Eating Attitudes and Behaviors in adolescence, and (2) to explore potential gender differences. Data were drawn from a 30-year longitudinal study that has followed the health and development of a population based cohort across 15 waves of data collection from infancy since 1983: The Australian Temperament Project. Participants in this analysis were the 1,300 youth who completed the 11th survey at 15-16 years (1998) and who completed the eating disorder inventory at this time point. Developmental correlates of Abnormal Eating Attitudes and Behaviors in mid-adolescence were temperamental persistence, early gestational age, persistent high weight, teen depression, stronger peer relationships, maternal dieting behavior, and pubertal timing. Overall, these factors accounted for 28% of the variance in Abnormal Eating Attitudes and Behaviors at 15-16 years of age. Depressive symptoms, maternal dieting behavior, and early puberty were more important factors for girls. Late puberty was a more important factor for boys. Findings address an important gap in our understanding of the etiology of Abnormal Eating Attitudes and Behaviors in adolescence and suggest multiple targets for preventive intervention.

Investigating Direct Links between Depression, Emotional Control, and Physical Punishment with Adolescent Drive for Thinness and Bulimic Behaviors, Including Possible Moderation by the Serotonin Transporter 5-HTTLPR Polymorphism.

Publisher: Frontiers Media SA

Date: 09-08-2017

DOI: 10.3389/FPSYG.2017.01361

Mother–Infant and Partner–Infant Emotional Availability at 12 Months of Age: Findings From an Australian Longitudinal Study

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 06-08-2018

DOI: 10.1111/INFA.12247

A 32-Year Longitudinal Study of Child and Adolescent Pathways to Well-Being in Adulthood

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 25-07-2012

DOI: 10.1007/S10902-012-9369-8

Parent perceptions of pediatric oncology care during the COVID‐19 pandemic: An Australian study

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 09-10-2021

DOI: 10.1002/PBC.29400

Abstract: We examined parents’ perceptions of their child's oncology care during a period of significant COVID‐19 restrictions in Australia. Parents of children, 0–18 years, receiving hospital‐based cancer treatment, completed a survey examining their COVID‐19 exposure and impact, information and knowledge, and perception of their child's medical care. Recruitment occurred between October and November 2020. Eighty‐four parents (95% mothers) completed the survey. Sixty‐seven percent of patients were diagnosed pre‐COVID‐19. The majority of parents (76%) reported negative impacts of COVID‐19 on family life, including parenting and emotional well‐being despite exposure to COVID‐19 cases being very low (4%). Family functioning and parent birthplace were associated with COVID‐19 impact and distress. Parents perceived the hospital as a safe place during the pandemic. Very few parents reported delaying presentation to the emergency department (12%). The majority identified no change (69%) or delay (71%) in their child's treatment delivery. Over 90% of parents were confident that COVID‐19 did not impact medical decision‐making. They felt confident in their COVID‐19 knowledge and sought information from trusted sources. Parents reported a positive relationship with their child's care team (93%) however, access to some support services was reduced. Understanding patient and family experiences of pediatric oncology care across international contexts during the pandemic is important to inform present and future health care responses. In the Australian context of low infection rates and strict community restrictions, parents perceived their child's oncology care to be relatively unaffected. However, findings indicate that family well‐being was impacted, which warrants further investigation.

Associations between unintended fatherhood and paternal mental health problems: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 10-2023

DOI: 10.1016/J.JAD.2023.06.065

Effects of racism and discrimination on mental health problems among young people in Victoria, Australia during COVID-19 lockdown

Publisher: Center for Open Science

Date: 24-01-2022

DOI: 10.31235/OSF.IO/34MPN

Abstract: Racism and discrimination are fundamental determinants of health inequities, with children and young people particularly vulnerable. Reports of racism and discrimination rose sharply in 2020 along with the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. We examined racism, discrimination (e.g. direct, vicarious, heightened vigilance, and worries about experiencing racial discrimination), COVID-19 pandemic related stressors (e.g. access to support services, changes to personal relationships, and financial hardship) and their associations with mental health problems (e.g. worry, lack of concentration, and irritability) using a series of linear regression models in young people during the Australian national COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020. Data was collected using the Racism During COVID-19 survey, a community-based, cross-sectional online survey. 363 young people aged 16-24 living in Victoria, Australia were included in our analysis, 45.4% self-identified as being from a multicultural background and 3.7% as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. 73.7% reported direct discrimination, 88.9% reported vicarious discrimination, 84.3% reported heightened vigilance and, 62.8% reported worries about experiencing racial discrimination. Half (51.3%) the participants experienced one or two COVID-19 related stressors and one third (34.2%) experienced three or more. Almost all (91.9%) reported high levels for two or more negative mental health problems. Experiences of direct discrimination, vicarious racism, heightened vigilance, worries about experiencing racial discrimination, and multiple COVID-19 related stressors (3+) were each associated with negative mental health problems, after adjusting for ethnicity, age and gender and socio-economic position. Addressing racism and discrimination is critical to addressing social determinants of health for young people.

Maternal and paternal depression and anxiety and offspring infant negative affectivity: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 12-2020

DOI: 10.1016/J.DR.2020.100934

Modeling gene-environment interaction in longitudinal data: Risk for neuroticism due to interaction between maternal care and the Dopamine 4 Receptor gene (DRD4)

Publisher: Informa UK Limited

Date: 03-2011

DOI: 10.1111/J.1742-9536.2011.00003.X

Development of a multi-dimensional measure of resilience in adolescents: the Adolescent Resilience Questionnaire

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 05-10-2011

DOI: 10.1186/1471-2288-11-134

How are you sleeping? Starting the conversation with fathers about their mental health in the early parenting years

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 02-2021

DOI: 10.1016/J.JAD.2020.11.081

Associations between early adrenarche, affective brain function and mental health in children

Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)

Date: 11-02-2014

DOI: 10.1093/SCAN/NSV014

Parental history of positive development and child behavior in next generation offspring: A two‐cohort prospective intergenerational study

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 11-08-2022

DOI: 10.1111/CDEV.13839

Abstract: This study examined whether positive development (PD) in adolescence and young adulthood predicts offspring behavior in two Australasian intergenerational cohorts. The Australian Temperament Project Generation 3 Study assessed PD at age 19–28 (years 2002–2010) and behavior in 1165 infants (12–18 months 608 girls) of 694 Australian‐born parents (age 29–35 2012–2019 399 mothers). The Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Parenting Study assessed PD at age 15–18 (years 1987–1991) and behavior in 695 preschoolers (3–5 years 349 girls) and their New Zealand born parents (age 21–46 1994–2018 363 mothers 89% European ethnicity). In both cohorts, PD before parenthood predicted more positive offspring behavior ( β range = .11–.16) and fewer behavior problems ( β range = −.09 to −.11). Promoting strengths may secure a healthy start to life.

Associations between adrenarcheal hormones, amygdala functional connectivity and anxiety symptoms in children

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 11-2018

DOI: 10.1016/J.PSYNEUEN.2018.07.020

Abstract: The transition from childhood to adolescence is a vulnerable period for the development of anxiety symptoms. There is some evidence that hormonal changes occurring during adrenarche, an early pubertal phase, might play a role in this increased vulnerability. Little is known about underlying brain mechanisms. Given the role of the amygdala-based fear circuit in anxiety, the current study aimed to investigate whether children's adrenarcheal hormone levels were associated with functional connectivity of the amygdala while processing fearful facial expressions, and how this in turn related to anxiety symptoms. Participants were 83 children (M age 9.53 years) who completed two morning saliva collections to measure levels of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), its sulphate (DHEAS), and testosterone. They also completed the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale (SCAS), and viewed fearful and calm facial expressions while undergoing a functional MRI scan. Psychophysiological interaction (PPI) analyses were performed to examine amygdala connectivity and significant clusters were fed into a bootstrapping mediation model. In boys, mediation analyses showed an indirect positive effect of testosterone on anxiety symptoms, which was mediated by amygdala-secondary visual cortex connectivity as well as amygdala-anterior cingulate connectivity. In girls, DHEAS showed a negative indirect association with anxiety symptoms mediated by amygdala connectivity to the fusiform face area and insula. The results indicate unique roles for adrenarcheal hormones in anxiety and suggest that amygdala connectivity may represent an important neural mechanism in these associations. Importantly, results reveal prominent sex differences in the biological mechanisms associated with anxiety in children undergoing adrenarche.

Does adolescent heavier alcohol use predict young adult aggression and delinquency? Parallel analyses from four Australasian cohort studies

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 18-03-2019

DOI: 10.1002/AB.21828

Abstract: While the association between heavy alcohol consumption and aggression has been well documented, the causal direction of this association, particularly at a population level, is disputed. A number of causal sequences have been proposed. First, that aggression leads to heavy alcohol use. Second, that heavy alcohol use leads to aggression. Third, that the association between alcohol use and aggression is due to confounding by (a) sociodemographic variables or (b) delinquency. We report here data from four Australasian prospective longitudinal studies of adolescents, to assess the temporal sequence of heavy drinking and aggression over the period from adolescence to young adulthood. The four cohort studies provide a total s le of 6,706 persons (Australian Temperament Project, n = 1701 Christchurch Health and Development Study, n = 931 Mater-University of Queensland Study of Pregnancy, n = 2437 Victorian Adolescent Health Cohort Study, n = 1637). We use multinomial logistic regression to determine whether early adolescent aggression predicts subsequent age of onset of heavy episodic drinking (HED), after adjustment for concurrent sociodemographic factors and delinquency. We then consider whether HED predicts subsequent aggression, after adjusting for past aggression, concurrent delinquency, and a range of confounders. There are broadly consistent findings across the four cohort studies. Early aggression strongly predicts subsequent HED. HED predicts later aggression after adjustment for prior aggression and other confounders. Policies that alter population levels of alcohol consumption are likely to impact on levels of aggression in societies where HED linked to aggression is more common.

Exploring a causal model in observational cohort data: The role of parents and peers in shaping substance use trajectories

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 2021

DOI: 10.1016/J.ADDBEH.2020.106597

Childhood sexual abuse and eating disorders in females

Publisher: American Medical Association (AMA)

Date: 03-2008

DOI: 10.1001/ARCHPEDIATRICS.2007.58

Abstract: To examine the relationship between childhood sexual abuse (CSA) before the age of 16 years and later onset of bulimia and anorexia nervosa symptoms in females. A longitudinal cohort study of adolescents observed from August 1992 to March 2003. The cohort was defined in a 2-stage cluster s le using 44 Australian schools in Victoria. Population based. A total of 1936 persons participated at least once and survived to the age of 24 years, including 999 females. The mean (SD) age of females at the start of follow-up was 14.91 (0.39) years and at completion, 24.03 (0.55) years. Main Exposure Self-reported CSA before the age of 16 years was ascertained retrospectively at the age of 24 years. Incident Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fourth Edition)-defined partial syndromes of anorexia and bulimia nervosa were identified between waves 4 (mean age, 16.3 years) and 6 (mean age, 17.4 years) using the Branched Eating Disorder Test. The incidence of bulimic syndrome during adolescence was 2.5 (95% confidence interval, 0.80-8.0) times higher among those who reported 1 episode of CSA and 4.9 (95% confidence interval, 1.9-12.7) times higher among those who reported 2 or more episodes of CSA, compared with females reporting no episodes, adjusted for age and background factors. The association persisted after adjusting for possible confounders or mediators measured 6 months earlier, including psychiatric morbidity and dieting behavior. There was little evidence of an association between CSA and partial syndromes of incident anorexia nervosa. Childhood sexual abuse seems to be a risk factor for the development of bulimic syndromes, not necessarily mediated by psychiatric morbidity or severe dieting.

Psychosocial profiles of adolescents from dissolved families: Differences in depressive symptoms in emerging adulthood

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 12-2018

DOI: 10.1016/J.JAD.2018.07.087

Abstract: When parents separate, on average, children are at greater risk for concurrent and subsequent depression however, mean outcomes mask substantial variation in depressive risk. This study aimed to (1) identify multivariate risk profiles (classes) in adolescents from separated families and (2) prospectively estimate class risk for depressive symptoms in emerging adulthood. The s le comprised 449 participants with separated parents from an Australian population based longitudinal cohort study established in 1983. Classes were explored using 17, theoretically germane, self- and parent-reported indicators of adolescent risk assessed at three points in adolescence (13-14, 15-16 and 17-18 years), spanning three domains of assessment: in idual, relational, contextual. Distinct profiles of adolescents were identified using Latent Class Analysis. Class differences on depressive symptoms in emerging adult (19-20 years) were then examined. Three multivariate profiles, differentiated by patterns of risk severity, were observed: Adjusted (n = 253), Moderate Risk (n = 156), and High Risk (n = 40). Compared to the Adjusted class, participants in the Moderate Risk, but not High Risk class had notably elevated depressive symptomatology in emerging adulthood (d = 0.35). In contrast, High Risk class membership in adolescence predicted antisocial behavior in emerging adulthood. Risk for depressive symptoms in emerging adulthood may be under-estimated due to a disproportionate loss of participants from low socio-economic backgrounds. We found most adolescents from dissolved families to be well-adjusted. Differences between Moderate Risk and High Risk adolescents signal differentiated pathways to subsequent mental health problems. Our findings are relevant for targeted therapeutic strategies for adolescents from dissolved families.

Longitudinal prediction of periconception alcohol use: a 20‐year prospective cohort study across adolescence, young adulthood and pregnancy

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 08-09-2022

DOI: 10.1111/ADD.15632

Abstract: Alcohol consumption is common in adolescence and young adulthood and may continue into pregnancy, posing serious risk to early fetal development. We examine the frequency of periconception alcohol use (prior to pregnancy awareness) and the extent to which adolescent and young adult alcohol use prospectively predict periconception use. A longitudinal, population‐based study. Victoria, Australia. A total of 289 women in trimester three of pregnancy (age 29–35 years 388 pregnancies). The main exposures were binge [≥ 4.0 standard drinks (SDs)/day] and frequent (≥ 3 days/week) drinking in adolescence (mean age = 14.9–17.4 years) and young adulthood (mean age 20.7–29.1 years). Outcomes were frequency (≥ 3 days/week, ≥ monthly, never) and quantity (≥ 4.0 SDs, ≥ 0.5 and 4.0 SDs, none) of periconception drinking. Alcohol use was common in young adulthood prior to pregnancy (72%) and in the early weeks of pregnancy (76%). The proportions drinking on most days and binge drinking were similar at both points. Reflecting a high degree of continuity in alcohol use behaviours, most women who drank periconceptionally had an earlier history of frequent (77%) and/or binge (85%) drinking throughout the adolescent or young adult years. Young adult binge drinking prospectively predicted periconception drinking quantity [odds ratio (OR) = 3.7, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.9–7.4], compared with women with no prior history. Similarly, frequent young adult drinking prospectively predicted frequent periconception drinking (OR = 30.7, 95% CI = 12.3–76.7). Women who engage in risky (i.e. frequent and binge) drinking in their adolescent and young adult years are more likely to report risky drinking in early pregnancy prior to pregnancy recognition than women with no prior history of risky drinking.

Early childhood attachment stability and change: a meta-analysis

Publisher: Informa UK Limited

Date: 10-08-2020

DOI: 10.1080/14616734.2020.1800769

Bullying in Early Adolescence and Antisocial Behavior and Depression Six Years Later: What Are the Protective Factors?

Publisher: Informa UK Limited

Date: 10-10-2013

DOI: 10.1080/15388220.2013.840643

Brain structural connectivity during adrenarche: Associations between hormone levels and white matter microstructure

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 02-2018

DOI: 10.1016/J.PSYNEUEN.2017.11.009

Abstract: Levels of the adrenal hormones dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), its sulfate (DHEAS), and testosterone, have all been linked to behavior and mental health during adrenarche, and preclinical studies suggest that these hormones influence brain development. However, little is known about how variation in these hormones is associated with white matter structure during this period of life. The current study aimed to examine associations between DHEA, DHEAS, and testosterone, and white matter microstructure during adrenarche. To avoid the confounding effect of age on hormone levels, we tested these associations in 87 children within a narrow age range (mean age 9.56 years, SD=0.34) but varying in hormone levels. All children provided saliva s les directly after waking and completed a diffusion-weighted MRI scan. Higher levels of DHEA were associated with higher mean diffusivity (MD) in a widespread cluster of white matter tracts, which was partially explained by higher radial diffusivity (RD) and partially by higher axial diffusivity (AD). In addition, there was an interaction between DHEA and testosterone, with higher levels of testosterone being associated with higher fractional anisotropy (FA) and lower MD and RD when DHEA levels were relatively high, but with lower FA and higher MD and RD when DHEA levels were low. These findings suggest that relatively early exposure to DHEA, as well as an imbalance between the adrenal hormones, may be associated with alterations in white matter microstructure. These findings highlight the potential relevance of adrenarcheal hormones for structural brain development.

Adherence to the caffeine intake guideline during pregnancy and birth outcomes: A prospective cohort study

Publisher: MDPI AG

Date: 07-03-2018

DOI: 10.3390/NU10030319

Cohort profile: the Men and Parenting Pathways (MAPP) Study: a longitudinal Australian cohort study of men’s mental health and well-being at the normative age for first-time fatherhood

Publisher: BMJ

Date: 07-2021

DOI: 10.1136/BMJOPEN-2020-047909

Abstract: The Men and Parenting Pathways (MAPP) Study is a prospective investigation of men’s mental health and well-being across the normative age for transitioning to fatherhood. This includes trajectories and outcomes for men who do and do not become fathers across five annual waves of the study. Australian resident, English-speaking men aged 28–32 years at baseline were eligible. Recruitment was over a 2-year period (2015–2017) via social and traditional media and through engagement with study partners. Eight hundred and eighteen eligible men consented to participate. Of these, 664 men completed the first online survey of whom 608 consented to ongoing participation. Of the ongoing s le, 83% have participated in at least two of the first three annual online surveys. Three waves of data collection are complete. The first longitudinal analysis of MAPP data, published in 2020, identified five profiles that characterise men’s patterns of depressive symptom severity and presentations of anger. Profiles indicating pronounced anger and depressive symptoms were associated with fathers’ lack of perceived social support, and problems with coparenting and bonding with infants. In a second study, MAPP data were combined with three other Australian cohorts in a meta-analysis of associations between fathers’ self-reported sleep problems up to 3 years postpartum and symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress. Adjusted meta-analytic associations between paternal sleep and mental health risk ranged from 0.25 to 0.37. MAPP is an ongoing cohort study. Waves 4 and 5 data will be ready for analyses at the end of 2021. Future investigations will include crossed-lagged and trajectory analyses that assess inter-relatedness and changing social networks, mental health, work and family life. A nested study of COVID-19 pandemic-related mental health and coping will add two further waves of data collection in a subs le of MAPP participants.

Prenatal Alcohol Consumption Between Conception and Recognition of Pregnancy

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 24-01-2017

DOI: 10.1111/ACER.13305

Abstract: Current estimates of the rates of alcohol-exposed pregnancies may underestimate prenatal alcohol exposure if alcohol consumption in early trimester 1, prior to awareness of pregnancy, is not considered. Extant literature describes predictors of alcohol consumption during pregnancy however, alcohol consumption prior to awareness of pregnancy is a distinct behavior from consumption after becoming aware of pregnancy and thus may be associated with different predictors. The purpose of this study was therefore to examine prevalence and predictors of alcohol consumption by women prior to awareness of their pregnancy, and trajectories of change to alcohol use following pregnancy recognition. Pregnant women (n = 1,403) were prospectively recruited from general antenatal clinics of 4 public hospitals in Australian metropolitan areas between 2008 and 2013. Women completed detailed interviews about alcohol use before and after recognition of pregnancy. Most women (n = 850, 60.6%) drank alcohol between conception and pregnancy recognition. Binge and heavy drinking were more prevalent than low-level drinking. The proportion of women who drank alcohol reduced to 18.3% (n = 257) after recognition of pregnancy. Of women who drank alcohol, 70.5% ceased drinking, 18.3% reduced consumption, and 11.1% made no reduction following awareness of pregnancy. Socioeconomic status (SES) was the strongest predictor of alcohol use, with drinkers more likely to be of high rather than low SES compared with abstainers (OR = 3.30, p < 0.001). Factors associated with different trajectories (either cessation, reduction, or continuation of drinking) included level of alcohol use prior to pregnancy recognition, age, pregnancy planning, and illicit substance use. In this s le of relatively high SES women, most women ceased or reduced drinking once aware of their pregnancy. However, the rate of alcohol-exposed pregnancies was higher than previous estimates when the period prior to pregnancy recognition was taken into account.

The relationship between positive development and psychopathology during the transition to adulthood: A person-centred approach

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 09-11-2012

DOI: 10.1016/J.ADOLESCENCE.2011.10.006

Abstract: The transition to adulthood is characterised by potential for both positive development and problem outcomes such as psychopathology, yet little is known about relationships between the two. Given the ersity of pathways observed during this transition period, there is likely to be significant heterogeneity in young people’s experiences of these outcomes. Drawing on data from 1158 19–20 year olds in the Australian Temperament Project and using latent profile analysis, we identified six subgroups. For most, higher positive development was associated with lower psychopathology and vice versa. One group (33.6%) was high across all positive development measures and low on psychopathology, and another (47.7%) average in both areas. The remaining four groups were low on positive development but differentiated by average psychopathology (4.7%), high internalising (5.5%), and moderate (7.2%) and severe (1.3%) externalising problems. Tailored intervention strategies that address both the promotion of competence and prevention of problem outcomes are needed.

The relationship between social capital and depression during the transition to adulthood

Publisher: Informa UK Limited

Date: 03-2011

DOI: 10.1111/J.1742-9536.2011.00004.X

Prospects for Epigenetic Epidemiology

Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)

Date: 13-12-2008

DOI: 10.1093/AJE/KWN380

The parental bonds of adolescent girls and next-generation maternal–infant bonding: findings from the Victorian Intergenerational Health Cohort Study

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 20-09-2018

DOI: 10.1007/S00737-017-0778-X

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which adolescent bonding problems with parents predict next-generation maternal-infant bonding problems at 2 and 12 months postpartum. Data were from a two-generation prospective cohort study of 1026 offspring (3 perinatal waves) born to participants of a two-decade (10-wave) study of 1943 adolescents. Dyads in this analysis were 395 mothers (29-36 years) of 606 offspring (305 female). At 16 years, we assessed adolescents' perceptions of their mother's and father's care and control, separately and in combination. Subsequently, when participants were adult mothers of infants 2 and 12 months postpartum, we assessed impaired maternal-infant bonding, infant-directed rejection-anger, and caregiving anxiety. Adolescent-parent bonding problems were strongly predictive of women's subsequent bonding problems with infants. In particular, impaired postpartum maternal bonding was predicted by adolescent reports of low paternal care (12 months: OR=3.1, 95% CI 1.1-8.6) and high maternal control (12 months: OR=3.7, 95% CI 1.4-9.7). In combination, high maternal control and low paternal control also predicted impaired postpartum bonding (2 months: OR=5.0, 95% CI 1.3-20 12 months: OR=12, 2.6-56), caregiving anxiety (2 months: OR=4, 95% CI 1.5-11 12 months: OR=8.8, 95% CI 1.8-43), and rejection/anger (12 months: OR=4.1, 95% CI 1.0-16). Further combinations of care and overprotection that significantly predicted postpartum bonding problems are presented. Our results indicate that adolescent girls who experience high maternal control and low paternal care are at higher risk for subsequent maternal-infant bonding problems. The strength of associations suggests that interventions should begin well before pregnancy.

Positive Development and Resilience in Emerging Adulthood

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Date: 02-09-2014

DOI: 10.1093/OXFORDHB/9780199795574.013.19

Abstract: Recently, calls have been made for an increased focus on successful development in young people and how optimal developmental pathways can be promoted. The concept of healthy functioning or positive development is particularly relevant to the emerging-adulthood period because of the significant potential for positive change and redirection of life pathways observed during this time. This chapter focuses on one empirically tested model of positive development in emerging adulthood developed with data from the Australian Temperament Project. Positive development is conceptualized as comprising the dimensions of civic action and engagement, trust and tolerance of others, trust in authorities and organizations, social competence, and life satisfaction. A growing body of research suggests that positive development in emerging adulthood is an important asset for young people, with distinct developmental antecedents and consequences for later functioning. The findings provide possible targets for interventions to promote healthy developmental pathways into adulthood.

Overweight and obesity between adolescence and young adulthood: A 10-year prospective cohort study

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 03-2011

DOI: 10.1016/J.JADOHEALTH.2010.06.019

Abstract: To assess changes in overweight and obesity between adolescence and young adulthood. Prospective 8-wave cohort study in Victoria, Australia, with 1,520 adolescents tracked from the age of 14 for a period of 10 years. Participants aged 18 years overweight was defined as a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25 and obesity as a BMI ≥ 30. The proportion of overweight in iduals increased from 20% in mid-adolescence to 33% at the age of 24 years. Obesity increased from 3.6% to 6.7%. Approximately 40% of young adults with a BMI ≥ 25 had been persistently at normal weights during adolescence and approximately 80% had been at a normal weight at some point. Around half of obese young adults had never been classified as obese as adolescents. No in idual with persistent obesity in adolescence had a BMI <25 at 24 years. A total of 31% of females and 59% of males who had been overweight for only one or two waves of adolescent data collection had a BMI ≥ 25 at 24 years. Substantial shifts in overweight and obesity occur between adolescence and young adulthood the extent of continuity depends on both the severity and persistence of adiposity in adolescence. Few adolescents who peak into obesity or are persistently overweight achieve a normal weight in young adulthood. Resolution is more common in those who are less persistently overweight as teenagers, suggesting scope for lifestyle interventions in this subgroup.

Pre-conception self-harm, maternal mental health and mother-infant bonding problems: A 20-year prospective cohort study

Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)

Date: 18-12-2019

DOI: 10.1017/S0033291718003689

Abstract: Self-harm in young people is associated with later problems in social and emotional development. However, it is unknown whether self-harm in young women continues to be a marker of vulnerability on becoming a parent. This study prospectively describes the associations between pre-conception self-harm, maternal depressive symptoms and mother–infant bonding problems. The Victorian Intergenerational Health Cohort Study (VIHCS) is a follow-up to the Victorian Adolescent Health Cohort Study (VAHCS) in Australia. Socio-demographic and health variables were assessed at 10 time-points (waves) from ages 14 to 35, including self-reported self-harm at waves 3–9. VIHCS enrolment began in 2006 (when participants were aged 28–29 years), by contacting VAHCS women every 6 months to identify pregnancies over a 7-year period. Perinatal depressive symptoms were assessed with the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale during the third trimester, and 2 and 12 months postpartum. Mother–infant bonding problems were assessed with the Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire at 2 and 12 months postpartum. Five hundred sixty-four pregnancies from 384 women were included. One in 10 women (9.7%) reported pre-conception self-harm. Women who reported self-harming in young adulthood (ages 20–29) reported higher levels of perinatal depressive symptoms and mother–infant bonding problems at all perinatal time points [perinatal depressive symptoms adjusted β = 5.40, 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.42–7.39 mother–infant bonding problems adjusted β = 7.51, 95% CI 3.09–11.92]. There was no evidence that self-harm in adolescence (ages 15–17) was associated with either perinatal outcome. Self-harm during young adulthood may be an indicator of future vulnerability to perinatal mental health and mother–infant bonding problems.

Tobacco Smoking in Adolescence Predicts Maladaptive Coping Styles in Adulthood

Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)

Date: 07-2013

DOI: 10.1093/NTR/NTT081

Infant and preschool attachment, continuity and relationship to caregiving sensitivity: findings from a new population‐based Australian cohort

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 27-07-2023

DOI: 10.1111/JCPP.13865

Abstract: Here, we report new prevalence and temporal stability data for child attachment and parental caregiving behaviour, from infancy (1 year) to preschool (4 years). Attachment (SSP) and caregiving data (MBQS) were from observations of parents and their infants and preschoolers, who represent the third generation of participants within an Australian longitudinal cohort. At 1 year ( n = 314 dyads) and at 4 years ( n = 368 dyads), proportions assessed secure were 59% and 71%, respectively. Proportions assessed avoidant were 15% and 11% ambivalent 9% and 6%, and disorganised 17% and 12%, at 1 and 4 years. Continuity of attachment pattern was highest for the infant secure group. Of dyads initially classified disorganised in infancy, 36% remained so at the preschool assessment. Attachment and caregiving continuities across the infancy–preschool period were highest for the stable secure attachment group and lowest for the stable insecure attachment group. Loss of secure attachment to mother by age 4 years correlated with decreased maternal caregiving sensitivity, and acquisition of secure status by age 4 was associated with increased maternal sensitivity. We found no difference in caregiving sensitivity scores for mothers and fathers for female and male preschool children. The contemporary infant and preschool attachment proportions we report here closely mirror the patterns of those reported in prior decades, with an inclination towards secure base relationships. Our findings alert practitioners anew to the responsiveness of early attachment status to change in caregiving responsiveness and support ongoing investment in early identification of disorganised attachment.

Cohort Profile: The Australian Temperament Project Generation 3 Study: A population-based multigenerational prospective cohort study of socio-emotional health and development

Publisher: Center for Open Science

Date: 13-05-2022

DOI: 10.31219/OSF.IO/HP4TJ

Abstract: Purpose: The Australian Temperament Project Generation 3 Cohort (ATPG3) was established to examine the extent to which offspring social and emotional development is shaped in the decades prior to conception, in parent and grandparent histories of psychosocial adjustment (e.g., emotional regulation, relationship quality and prosociality) and maladjustment (e.g., depressive symptoms, substance use and antisociality). Participants: The Australian Temperament Project (ATP) commenced in 1983 as a population representative survey of the social and emotional health of 2443 young Australians (Generation 2: 4-8 months) and their parents (Generation 1). Since then, families have been followed from infancy to young adulthood (15 waves). Between 2012 and 2018, the cohort was screened biannually for pregnancies and infants (Generation 3). Assessments were conducted in the third trimester of pregnancy, and at 8 weeks and 1 year postpartum. Findings to date: 1167 offspring (607 female) born to 703 ATP G2 parents (400 mothers) were recruited into the ATPG3 Cohort. Findings to date highlight: (1) strong continuities in depressive symptoms and substance use from adolescence through to becoming a parent (2) a role for persistent preconception mental health problems in risk for parent-child bonding difficulties, as well as infant emotional reactivity and behaviour problems (3) the importance of secure attachments in adolescence in reducing long term risk for postpartum mental health problems and (4) the protective nature of perceived social support, both preconception and postpartum, in strengthening relationship quality and social support during the COVID-19 pandemic. Future Plans: Assessments of the ATPG3 cohort in preschool and middle childhood are currently funded and underway. We intend to maintain the offspring cohort through childhood, adolescence, young adulthood and into parenthood. Data will be used to map preconception determinants of emotional health, and enhance approaches to population monitoring and targeted intervention over the life course and across generations.

Childhood disadvantage and adolescent socioemotional wellbeing as predictors of future parenting behaviour

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 25-12-2021

DOI: 10.1016/J.ADOLESCENCE.2020.12.005

Abstract: In extending work on early life antecedents of parenting, we investigate associations between childhood family history of disadvantage, adolescent socioemotional wellbeing, and age at first parenthood and subsequent parenting behaviour. Parent‐child interactions were recorded when participants in the longitudinal Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study (New Zealand) had a three‐year‐old child. Data were available for 358 mothers and 321 fathers, aged between 17.7 and 41.5 at the time of their child's birth. Associations between parenting and antecedent data on socioeconomic disadvantage, adolescent wellbeing and mental health, as well as current adult mental health and age at parenting, were tested for using structural equation modelling. Family disadvantage in childhood and lower adolescent wellbeing was associated with less positive future parenting, but only adult (not adolescent) anxiety/depression symptoms were directly associated with parenting behaviour. Childhood family disadvantage was associated with further disadvantage across the life course that included less positive parenting of the next generation. In contrast, socioemotional wellbeing during adolescence and later age of onset of parenting were associated with more positive parenting. Reducing childhood disadvantage and improving socioemotional wellbeing during childhood and adolescence is likely to have intergenerational benefits through better parenting of the next generation.

Child and parent physical activity, sleep and screen time during COVID-19 compared to pre-pandemic nationally representative data and associations with mental health

Publisher: Center for Open Science

Date: 02-09-2020

DOI: 10.31234/OSF.IO/ANQCT

Abstract: Objective: To investigate differences in movement behaviors (physical activity, sleep, screen time) in both parents and children during the early stages of COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, compared to pre-COVID-19 national data and, estimate associations between these movement behaviors with parent and child mental health. Methods: We used cross-sectional baseline data from the COVID-19 Pandemic Adjustment Study (CPAS N=2,365). Participants were parents of children aged ≤18 years, residing in Australia. We drew on nationally representative pre-COVID data from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC N=9,438). In both studies, parents provided the same self-report measures of physical activity, sleep quality, as well as measures of child physical activity and screen time. Parents reported on their own and their child’s mental health. Results: Compared to LSAC, children in CPAS had more sleep problems (17.4% vs 8.9%, p& .001) and more weekend screen time (3.98 hours vs 3.35 hours, p& .001), while more parents had poor sleep quality (56.7% vs 21.0%, p& .001) despite increased weekly physical activity (3.86 days vs 2.85 days, p& .001). Children’s sleep problems were associated with increased depression, anxiety and irritability symptoms, after accounting for physical activity and screen time (all p& .001). Poorer parent sleep quality and lower levels of physical activity were associated with poorer mental health across all indicators (all p≤.001).Conclusion: Government funded mental health programs to implement evidence-based sleep interventions for children and their parents, along with targeted messaging around physical activity should be considered to promote mental health within the family context during lockdown restrictions.

Perinatal depressive symptoms preceded by mental health problems - Authors' reply

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 2016

DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(15)01357-4

Exploring perinatal biopsychosocial factors and epigenetic age in 1-year-old offspring

Publisher: Future Medicine Ltd

Date: 31-10-2023

DOI: 10.2217/EPI-2023-0284

Greenness modifies the association between ambient air pollution and cognitive function in Australian adolescents, but not in mid-life adults.

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 05-2023

DOI: 10.1016/J.ENVPOL.2023.121329

Early childhood education and care educators supporting parent-child relationships: a systematic literature review

Publisher: Informa UK Limited

Date: 18-10-2016

DOI: 10.1080/09575146.2016.1233169

Is Neighborhood Nature an Ecological Precursor of Parenting Practices, Infant-Parent Bonding, and Infant Socioemotional Function?

Publisher: SAGE Publications

Date: 05-2023

DOI: 10.1177/00139165231182686

Abstract: Nurturing relationships are crucial for adaptive child development. The objectives of the study were to investigate whether nature availability was associated with early nurturing parenting practices, mother-infant bonding, and infant socioemotional function. Data were from the Australian Temperament Project ( n = 809 infants to 515 parents residing in Victoria, Australia) and were linked cross-sectionally to residential greenness (i.e., Normalized Difference in Vegetation Index). There were no observable associations between residential greenness within a 1,600 m network radius and parenting practices, mother-infant bonding, or infant socioemotional function. The findings were largely corroborated by sensitivity analyses (i.e., NDVI within 100, 250, 500, and 1,000 m and distance to park). Shorter distances to a park were associated with less hostile parenting. More residential greenness (1,000 and 1,600 m) was associated with stronger father-infant bonding and more hostile parenting amongst the most stressed parents in exploratory analyses. Residential greenness might be a socioecological precursor for father-infant bonding.

Adolescent Depressive Symptoms and Subsequent Pregnancy, Pregnancy Completion and Pregnancy Termination in Young Adulthood: Findings from the Victorian Adolescent Health Cohort Study

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 02-2012

DOI: 10.1016/J.JPAG.2011.06.013

Abstract: To examine relationships between depressive symptoms in adolescence (14-18 years of age) and becoming pregnant, completing a pregnancy (live birth) and terminating a pregnancy in young adulthood (21-24 years of age). Data from 1000 females were drawn from a larger s le of 1943 young Australians participating in a longitudinal study of adolescent health and development, followed across 8 waves from adolescence (waves 1-6) to young adulthood (waves 7 and 8). Victoria, Australia. Pregnancy, pregnancy completion and pregnancy termination between 21-24 years of age. We observed a twofold increase in the odds of becoming pregnant in those reporting persisting patterns of depressive symptoms during adolescence (2+ waves) however, after staged adjustment for adolescent antisocial behaviour, drug use and socioeconomic disadvantage, there was no evidence of association. Of particular note, and consistent with previous research, adolescent antisocial and drug use behavior were strongly associated with becoming pregnant and pregnancy termination in young adulthood. Adolescent antisocial and drug use behavior, not depressive symptoms, independently predict pregnancy outcomes in young adulthood.

Intervention targets for reducing mortality between mid-adolescence and mid-adulthood: a protocol for a machine-learning facilitated systematic umbrella review

Publisher: BMJ

Date: 10-2023

DOI: 10.1136/BMJOPEN-2022-068733

The australian and New Zealand intergenerational cohort consortium: A study protocol for investigating mental health and well-being across generations

Publisher: Bristol University Press

Date: 04-2020

DOI: 10.1332/175795920X15792720930280

Abstract: The Australian New Zealand Intergenerational Cohort Consortium (ANZ-ICC) brings together three of the longest running intergenerational cohort studies in Australia and New Zealand to examine the extent to which preconception parental life histories (from infancy to parenthood) predict next generation early health and development. The aims are threefold: (1) to describe pathways of advantage that strengthen emotional health and well-being from one generation to the next, (2) to describe pathways of disadvantage that perpetuate cycles of emotional and behavioural problems across generations, and (3) to identify modifiable factors capable of breaking intergenerational cycles. The Victorian Intergenerational Health Cohort Study has followed 1,943 young Australians from adolescence to adulthood across ten waves since 1992, and 1,030 offspring from pregnancy to early childhood since 2006. The Australian Temperament Project Generation 3 Study has followed 2,443 young Australians from infancy to adulthood across 15 waves since 1983, and 1170 offspring from pregnancy to early childhood since 2012. The Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study Parenting Study has followed 1,037 young New Zealanders across 15 waves since 1972, and 730 offspring in early childhood since 1994. Cross-cohort replication analyses will be conducted for common preconception exposures and next generation offspring outcomes, while integrated data analysis of pooled data will be used for rare exposures and outcomes. The ANZ-ICC represents a unique collaboration that bridges the disciplines of lifecourse epidemiology, biostatistics, developmental psychology and psychiatry, to study the role of parental preconception exposures on next generation health and development.

The impact of an outdoor adventure program on positive adolescent development: a controlled crossover trial

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 07-2018

DOI: 10.1007/S42322-018-0015-8

A Profile of Outdoor Adventure Interventions for Young People in Australia

Publisher: Sagamore Publishing, LLC

Date: 2016

DOI: 10.18666/JOREL-2016-V8-I1-7281

The Role of Peer Support in Facilitating Psychosocial Adjustment to Chronic Illness in Adolescence

Publisher: SAGE Publications

Date: 2005

DOI: 10.1177/1359104505048793

Abstract: This article describes a Chronic Illness Peer Support (ChIPS) programme designed to assist young people in their adjustment to life with a chronic medical condition. The ChIPS programme takes a non-categorical approach to participation, recognizing that young people with different medical conditions experience many similar concerns. Support groups are facilitated by a health professional and peer co-leader. Groups meet weekly for 8 weeks and typically include between six and eight young people. Young people can choose to remain involved in broader social, educational and recreational activities following completion of the 8-week programme. We discuss nine psychosocial mechanisms by which peer support groups such as ChIPS might act to improve resilience and well-being among participants. We also discuss some theoretical risks in running support groups for chronically ill young people, which emphasize the importance of training and support of group leaders, including the peer co-leaders. The article concludes with a personal testimony by a ChIPS participant that was prepared for the 2003 Australian and New Zealand Adolescent Health Conference.

Association between Dependent Smoking and a Polymorphism in the Tyrosine Hydroxylase Gene in a Prospective Population-Based Study of Adolescent Health

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 2004

DOI: 10.1023/B:BEGE.0000009478.70863.25

Better together: Advancing life course research through multi-cohort analytic approaches

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 09-2022

DOI: 10.1016/J.ALCR.2022.100499

Relationships Between Self‐Reported and Observed Parenting Behaviour, Adolescent Disordered Eating Attitudes and Behaviours, and the 5‐HTTLPR Polymorphism: Data From the Australian Temperament

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 10-07-2017

DOI: 10.1002/ERV.2530

Supporting the dying and bereaved during COVID-19

Publisher: Informa UK Limited

Date: 08-06-2021

DOI: 10.1080/00050067.2021.1937924

Adolescent Care-Orientation and Positive Development in Young Adulthood

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 2019

DOI: 10.1016/J.JADOHEALTH.2018.07.024

Abstract: This study examined the extent to which care-oriented attitudes and behaviours in adolescence (e.g., volunteering) predict positive development (PD e.g., life satisfaction and meaning urpose) in young adulthood (19-28 years). The analytic s le comprised 1,359 participants participating from a 35-year (16 wave) population-based cohort study (The Australian Temperament Project). Adolescent care-oriented attitudes and behaviours were defined in mid-adolescence (15-16 years). Young adult PD was defined by latent growth curve modelling across three waves (19-20, 23-24, and 27-28 years). There was considerable variation in PD at the beginning of young adulthood (19-20 years) (variance of intercept = 40.22, SE = 4.53, p < .001). Once baseline PD levels were established in young adulthood, there was evidence of increasing PD over time (mean slope = .34, SE = .04, 95%CI = [.26, .41], p < .001, β = .65), with little variation in this rate of change between participants (variance of slope = .27, SE = .15, p = .087). After controlling for sex, parental education, and personality factors (b = 3.49, SE(b) = .67, 95%CI = [2.17, 4.80], p < .001, β = .22) care orientations in adolescence predicted PD at age 19-20 years, establishing the starting point of PD trajectories across young adulthood. Results suggest that promotion of care-oriented attitudes and behaviours in adolescence may enhance adult development by increasing PD levels at the start of the twenties. Intervening earlier in life is indicated as PD tends to remain stable throughout young adulthood once established.

Efficacy of a Smartphone App Intervention for Reducing Caregiver Stress: Randomized Controlled Trial

Publisher: JMIR Publications Inc.

Date: 24-07-2020

DOI: 10.2196/17541

Abstract: Caregivers play a pivotal role in maintaining an economically viable health care system, yet they are characterized by low levels of psychological well-being and consistently report unmet needs for psychological support. Mobile app–based (mobile health [mHealth]) interventions present a novel approach to both reducing stress and improving well-being. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a self-guided mobile app–based psychological intervention for people providing care to family or friends with a physical or mental disability. In a randomized, single-blind, controlled trial, 183 caregivers recruited through the web were randomly allocated to either an intervention (n=73) or active control (n=110) condition. The intervention app contained treatment modules combining daily self-monitoring with third-wave (mindfulness-based) cognitive-behavioral therapies, whereas the active control app contained only self-monitoring features. Both programs were completed over a 5-week period. It was hypothesized that intervention app exposure would be associated with decreases in depression, anxiety, and stress, and increases in well-being, self-esteem, optimism, primary and secondary control, and social support. Outcomes were assessed at baseline, postintervention, and 3-4 months postintervention. App quality was also assessed. In total, 25% (18/73) of the intervention participants were lost to follow-up at 3 months, and 30.9% (34/110) of the participants from the wait-list control group dropped out before the postintervention survey. The intervention group experienced reductions in stress (b=−2.07 P=.04) and depressive symptoms (b=−1.36 P=.05) from baseline to postintervention. These changes were further enhanced from postintervention to follow-up, with the intervention group continuing to report lower levels of depression (b=−1.82 P=.03) and higher levels of emotional well-being (b=6.13 P .001), optimism (b=0.78 P=.007), self-esteem (b=−0.84 P=.005), support from family (b=2.15 P=.001), support from significant others (b=2.66 P .001), and subjective well-being (b=4.82 P .001). On average, participants completed 2.5 (SD 1.05) out of 5 treatment modules. The overall quality of the app was also rated highly, with a mean score of 3.94 out of a maximum score of 5 (SD 0.58). This study demonstrates that mHealth psychological interventions are an effective treatment option for caregivers experiencing high levels of stress. Recommendations for improving mHealth interventions for caregivers include offering flexibility and customization in the treatment design. Australian New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry ACTRN12616000996460 www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=371170

The Role of Antenatal and Postnatal Maternal Bonding in Infant Development

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 06-2022

DOI: 10.1016/J.JAAC.2021.08.024

Abstract: The affectional bond experienced by a mother toward her developing fetus/infant has been theorized to be a critical factor in determining infant developmental outcomes yet there remains a paucity of research in this area, and a lack of high-quality longitudinal studies. This study aimed to examine the extent to which mother-to-infant bonding predicted infant development in a multi-wave longitudinal pregnancy cohort study (N = 1,347). Self-reported bonding was assessed using the Maternal Antenatal Attachment Scale at each trimester, and the Maternal Postnatal Attachment Scale at 8 weeks and 12 months postpartum. Infant development was assessed using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition (Bayley-III) at 12 months. Bonding predicted indicators of infant social-affective development, including social-emotional, behavioral, and temperamental outcomes. Effect sizes ranged from small to moderate, increasing over the perinatal period (β = 0.11-0.27). Very small effects were also identified in the relationship between bonding and cognitive, language, and motor development (β = 0.06-0.08). Findings suggest that a mother's perceived emotional connection with her child plays a role in predicting social-affective outcomes prediction may not extend to other domains of infant development. Maternal bonding may therefore be a potentially modifiable predictor of infant social-affective outcomes, offering important considerations for preventive intervention.

Child, parent, and family mental health and functioning in Australia during COVID-19: Comparison to pre-pandemic data

Publisher: Center for Open Science

Date: 30-09-2020

DOI: 10.31234/OSF.IO/YDRM9

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic presents significant risks to the mental health and wellbeing of families. This study aimed to examine: (1) patterns of parent and child (0–18 years) mental health, parent substance use, couple conflict, parenting practices, and family functioning during COVID-19 compared to pre-pandemic data and (2) associations between parent, child, and family outcomes during the pandemic and both pre-existing risk factors and COVID-19 stressors. Participants were Australian mothers (81%) and fathers aged 18 years and over who were parents of a child 0–18 years (N=2,365). Parents completed an online self-report survey assessing mental health, substance use, couple conflict, parenting, and family functioning during ‘stage three’ COVID-19 restrictions in April 2020. Data were compared to pre-pandemic data from four Australian population-based cohorts. Compared to pre-pandemic estimates, during the pandemic period parents reported higher rates of parent mental health symptoms (Cohen’s d=0.26-.81, all p& .001), higher parenting irritability (d=0.17-.46, all p& .001), lower family positive expressiveness (d=-0.18, p& .001), and higher alcohol consumption (22% vs 12% drinking four or more days per week, p& .001). In multivariable analyses, pre-existing financial deprivation and COVID-19 stressors were associated with greater severity in parent and child mental health symptoms, parent emotion dysregulation, parenting irritability, couple conflict and family positive/negative expressiveness. Parents and children with pre-existing mental health conditions had elevated difficulties during the pandemic across most domains. Our data suggest wide-ranging, detrimental family impacts associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and support policy actions to assist families with financial supports, leave entitlements, and social housing.

Predicting Female Depression Across Puberty: A Two-Nation Longitudinal Study

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 12-2008

DOI: 10.1097/CHI.0B013E3181886EBE

General anaesthesia or conscious sedation for painful procedures in childhood cancer: the family's perspective

Publisher: No publisher found

Date: 2003

DOI: 10.1136/ADC.88.3.253

Abstract: Until recently, midazolam sedation was routinely used in our institution for bone marrow aspirates and lumbar punctures in children with cancer. It has been perceived by many doctors and nurses as being well tolerated by children and their families. To compare the efficacy of inhalational general anaesthesia and midazolam sedation for these procedures. A total of 96 children with neoplastic disorders, who received either inhalational general anaesthesia with sevoflurane, nitrous oxide, and oxygen (GA) or sedation with oral or nasal midazolam (SED) as part of their routine preparation for procedures were studied. The experiences of these children were examined during their current procedure and during their first ever procedure. Main outcome measures were the degree of physical restraint used on the child, and the levels of distress and pain experienced by the child during the current procedure and during the first procedure. The family's preference for future procedures was also determined. During 102 procedures under GA, restraint was needed on four occasions (4%) when the anaesthetic mask was first applied, minimal pain was reported, and children were reported as distressed about 25% of the time. During 80 SED procedures, restraint was required in 94%, firm restraint was required in 66%, the child could not be restrained in 14%, median pain score was 6 (scale 0 (no pain) to 6 (maximum pain)), and 90% of the parents reported distress in their child. Ninety per cent of families wanted GA for future procedures. Many families reported dissatisfaction with the sedation regime and raised concerns about the restraint used on their child. This general anaesthetic regime minimised the need for restraint and was associated with low levels of pain and distress. The sedation regime, by contrast, was much less effective. There was a significant disparity between the perceptions of health professionals and those of families with respect to how children coped with painful procedures.

Continuities in maternal substance use from early adolescence to parenthood: findings from the intergenerational cohort consortium

Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)

Date: 08-10-2021

DOI: 10.1017/S0033291721003925

Abstract: This study assessed the extent to which women's preconception binge drinking, tobacco use and cannabis use, reported prospectively in adolescence and young adulthood, predicted use of these substances during pregnancy and at 1 year postpartum. Data were pooled from two intergenerational cohort studies: the Australian Temperament Project Generation 3 Study (395 mothers, 691 pregnancies) and the Victorian Intergenerational Health Cohort Study (398 mothers, 609 pregnancies). Alcohol, tobacco and cannabis use were assessed in adolescence (13–18 years), young adulthood (19–29 years) and at ages 29–35 years for those transitioning to parenthood. Exposures were weekly or more frequent preconception binge drinking (5 + drinks in one session), tobacco use and cannabis use. Outcomes were any alcohol, tobacco and cannabis use prior to awareness of the pregnancy, after awareness of pregnancy (up to and including the third trimester pregnancy) and at 1 year postpartum. Frequent preconception binge drinking, tobacco use and cannabis use across both adolescence and young adulthood were strong predictors of continued use post-conception, before and after awareness of the pregnancy and at 1 year postpartum. Substance use limited to young adulthood also predicted continued use post-conception. Persistent alcohol, tobacco use and cannabis use that starts in adolescence has a strong continuity into parenthood. Reducing substance use in the perinatal period requires action well before pregnancy, commencing in adolescence and continuing into the years before conception and throughout the perinatal period.

Preparing for Future Adversities: Lessons From the COVID-19 Pandemic in Australia for Promoting Relational Resilience in Families

Publisher: Frontiers Media SA

Date: 04-08-2021

DOI: 10.3389/FPSYT.2021.717811

Abstract: Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has placed considerable pressure on families, testing the quality of relationships and the strength of social support within and beyond the family network. However, little is known about the pre-pandemic factors that predict family relational resilience and social functioning during times of natural disaster or global crisis. Here we use data from one of Australia's longest running studies of social and emotional development to examine the nature and timing of possible relational and social support intervention aimed at preparing families for future adversities. Methods: Data were from the Australian Temperament Project Generation 3 (ATPG3) Study, a population representative three generation cohort study of families established in 1983. A subset of Generation 2 parents completed a COVID-19 specific survey in May-September 2020 (502 parents of 871 children 60% mothers 37–38 years). These participants had completed the Quality of Relationships Inventory to assess social support during young adulthood, at 23–24 years (2006) and 27–28 years (2010), before next generation conception. Participants had also completed the Maternity Social Support Scale 1 year postpartum for each child born across the ATPG3 assessment period (2012–2019). In 2020, during the height of the Australian lockdowns, participants rated the quality of their relationships with their partners, children and broader family and friends, in addition to social support within and extended beyond their family. Results: Pre-pandemic partner support was associated with partner relationship quality during the pandemic (β = 0.22). Pre-pandemic support from friends was associated with relationship quality with other family and friends during the pandemic (β = 0.12 – 0.18). Pre-pandemic support (from partner, family and friends) was consistently associated with social support within families during the pandemic (β = 0.11 – 0.21). Pre-pandemic support from friends was also associated with family support extended to others within their local community during the pandemic (β = 0.12 – 0.13). Conclusions: Strengthening supportive relationships during major life transitions, prior to the start of family life and in early parenthood, may have long-term and intergenerational benefits years into the future for both families and communities. This may promote resilience during future crises and other more normative stressful life events.

Early life stress and child temperament style as predictors of childhood anxiety and depressive symptoms: Findings from the longitudinal study of Australian children

Publisher: Hindawi Limited

Date: 2011

DOI: 10.1155/2011/296026

Abstract: Objective . The purpose of this study was to determine whether the relationship between stressful infant environments and later childhood anxiety and depressive symptoms varies as a function of in idual differences in temperament style. Methods . Data was drawn from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC). This study examined 3425 infants assessed at three time points, at 1-year, at 2/3 years and at 4/5 years. Temperament was measured using a 12-item version of Toddler Temperament Scale (TTS) and was scored for reactive, avoidant, and impulsive dimensions. Logistic regression was used to model direct relationships and additive interactions between early life stress, temperament, and emotional symptoms at 4 years of age. Analyses were adjusted for socioeconomic status, parental education, and marital status. Results . Stressful family environments experienced in the infant's first year of life (high versus low) and high reactive, avoidant, and impulsive temperament styles directly and independently predicted anxiety and depressive problems in children at 4 years of age. There was no evidence of interaction between temperament and family stress exposure. Conclusions . Both infant temperament and stress exposures are independent and notable predictors of later anxiety and depressive problems in childhood. The risk relationship between stress exposure in infancy and childhood emotion problems did not vary as a function of infant temperament. Implications for preventive intervention and future research directions are discussed.

The developmental origins of stress reactivity: an intergenerational life-course perspective

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 02-2022

DOI: 10.1016/J.COBEHA.2021.10.005

Adolescence and the next generation

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 22-02-2018

DOI: 10.1038/NATURE25759

Abstract: Adolescent growth and social development shape the early development of offspring from preconception through to the post-partum period through distinct processes in males and females. At a time of great change in the forces shaping adolescence, including the timing of parenthood, investments in today’s adolescents, the largest cohort in human history, will yield great idends for future generations.

Profiles of Depressive Symptoms and Anger in Men: Associations With Postpartum Family Functioning

Publisher: Frontiers Media SA

Date: 23-11-2020

DOI: 10.3389/FPSYT.2020.578114

Abstract: Background: Evidence suggests that men commonly experience depression as feelings of anger yet, research has not investigated what this means for the manifestation of depressive symptoms in the early years of fatherhood and for key indicators of family functioning. Methods: Using data from a longitudinal cohort study of men at the normative age for entering fatherhood (28–32 years), we conducted latent class analyses to identify patterns of depressive symptoms and 3 sub-types of state anger (feeling verbal physical). We then assessed whether class membership was associated with paternity status ( n = 535). In a subs le of fathers of infants aged up to 18 months ( n = 162), we prospectively assessed associations with paternal-infant bonding, co-parenting, perceived social support, paternal involvement in childcare and alcohol use up to 2 years later. Results: Five classes emerged that differentiated men by anger and depressive symptom severity and by the degree to which men endorsed the feeling of wanting to express anger physically. Compared to the reference class with minimal symptoms, fathers had a higher probability of being in either the mild or most severe symptom classes. Men in symptomatic classes were at higher risk of lower levels of social support, co-parenting problems, and paternal-infant bonds. Class membership was not associated with alcohol use or paternal involvement in childcare. Conclusions: Our results reveal patterns of co-existing symptoms of depression and anger in fathers of infants that will be relevant to men's own need for support, their family safety, partner mental health and child developmental outcomes.

Developmental relationships between socio-economic disadvantage and mental health across the first 30 years of life

Publisher: Bristol University Press

Date: 07-2022

DOI: 10.1332/175795921X16459587898770

Abstract: Understanding of how socio-economic disadvantage experienced over the life course relates to mental health outcomes in young adulthood has been limited by a lack of long-term, prospective studies. Here we address this limitation by drawing on data from a large Australian population cohort study that has followed the development of more than 2,000 Australians (and their families) from infancy to young adulthood since 1983. Associations were examined between prospective assessments of socio-economic position (SEP) from 4–8 months to 27–28 years and mental health problems (depression, anxiety, stress) and competence (civic engagement, emotional maturity, secure intimate relationship) at 27–28 years. The odds of being socio-economically disadvantaged in young adulthood were elevated eight- to tenfold in those who had experienced disadvantage in the family of origin, compared with those who had not (OR 8.1, 95% CI 4.5–14.5 to 10.1, 95% CI 5.2–19.5). Only concurrent SEP was associated with young adult mental health problems, and this effect was limited to anxiety symptoms (OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.1–3.9). In contrast, SEP had more pervasive impacts on young adult competence, particularly in the civic domain where effects were evident even from early infancy (OR 0.46, 95% CI 0.26–0.81). Findings suggest that one potentially important mechanism through which disadvantage compromises mental health is through limiting the development and consolidation of key psychosocial competencies needed for health and well-being in adulthood.

Association between serotonin transporter genotype, brain structure and adolescent-onset major depressive disorder: A longitudinal prospective study

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 16-09-2014

DOI: 10.1038/TP.2014.85

The role of oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) DNA methylation (DNAm) in human social and emotional behaviour: a systematic narrative review.

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 29-05-2018

DOI: 10.1186/S12888-018-1740-9

Association Between Abnormal Psychosocial Situations in Childhood, Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Oppositional Defiant Disorder

Publisher: SAGE Publications

Date: 09-2010

DOI: 10.3109/00048674.2010.489504

Abstract: Psychosocial stressors are important in the pathogenesis of most mental disorders. However, little is known about the way psychosocial stressors uniquely combine to create risk for different expressions of child and adolescent psychopathology. The purpose of this study was to determine whether core dimensions of stressful psychosocial situations are differentially associated with childhood generalized anxiety disorder and oppositional defiant disorder. A case-control design conducted in Trondheim (Norway) from 2002 to 2004 comparing exposure to ICD-10-defined abnormal psychosocial situations (Z-codes) among 21 children with oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and 22 children with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) recruited from a university outpatient clinic with 42 non-patient school controls. Multigroup discriminant analysis extracted two significant dimensions within the psychosocial variables assessed. Function 1 was characterized by overprotection, parental pressures and acute life events and was associated with GAD. Function 2 was characterized by parental abuse/hostility and interpersonal stress and was associated with ODD. Both dimensions were able to correctly classify 89.7% of the cases, compared to 35.9% by chance. The results indicate that specific psychosocial dimensions are differentially related to childhood GAD and ODD. This may be useful in targeting at-risk populations for preventive intervention as well as informing more accurate alignment of psychosocial resources for treatment.

A comparison of longitudinal modelling approaches: Alcohol and cannabis use from adolescence to young adulthood

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 08-2019

DOI: 10.1016/J.DRUGALCDEP.2019.05.001

Abstract: Modelling trajectories of substance use over time is complex and requires judicious choices from a number of modelling approaches. In this study we examine the relative strengths and weakness of latent curve models (LCM), growth mixture modelling (GMM), and latent class growth analysis (LCGA). Data were drawn from the Australian Temperament Project, a 36-year-old community-based longitudinal study that has followed a s le of young Australians from infancy to adulthood across 16 waves of follow-up since 1983. Models were fitted on past month alcohol use (n = 1468) and cannabis use (n = 549) across six waves of data collected from age 13-14 to 27-28 years. Of the three model types, GMMs were the best fit. However, these models were limited given the variance of numerous growth parameters had to be constrained to zero. Additionally, both the GMM and LCGA solutions had low entropy. The negative binomial LCMs provided a relatively well-fitting solution with fewer drawbacks in terms of growth parameter estimation and entropy issues. In all cases, model fit was enhanced when using a negative binomial distribution. Substance use researchers would benefit from adopting a complimentary framework by exploring both LCMs and mixture approaches, in light of the relative strengths and weaknesses as identified. Additionally, the distribution of data should inform modelling decisions.

Assessment of first sexual intercourse in young women with a history of childhood sexual abuse

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 05-01-2011

DOI: 10.1111/J.1479-828X.2010.01260.X

A methodological review of fetal neurosonographic studies: New directions in assessment of neurodevelopmental risk for mental health problems

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 07-2020

DOI: 10.1016/J.NEUBIOREV.2020.03.031

Glutamate cysteine ligase (GCL) and self reported depression: an association study from the HUNT

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 06-2011

DOI: 10.1016/J.JAD.2010.12.019

Abstract: There is increasing evidence suggesting oxidative stress may play a role in the aetiology of depression. Glutathione is the brain's predominant free radical scavenger, and associated polymorphisms of the glutamate cysteine ligase (GCL) gene have been reported for related psychiatric disorders. The aim of the study was to investigate candidate polymorphisms of GCL validated in schizophrenia and their association with current state depression, as measured by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Polymorphisms were genotyped on 983 cases and 967 controls selected from a population s le of adults participating in the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study. Cases were the top scoring in iduals (98.5th percentile) on the HADS depression subscale while the controls were randomly selected from below this cut-off. The polymorphisms comprised three SNPs from GCLM, the gene encoding the GCL modifier and 9 SNPs plus a trinucleotide repeat (TNTR) from intron 1 and the 5'UTR of GCLC, the gene encoding the GCL catalytic subunit. Using the linkage disequilibrium between the GCLC markers we also tested whether SNPs could represent the variation of the TNTR. The candidate polymorphisms showed no evidence for association with depression. The C allele of SNP rs9474592 is coupled with the 9 GAG repeats allele of the TNTR, r²=0.81. None of the other SNPs either in idually or as two or three-SNP haplotypes was associated with the TNTR alleles. Depression was self-reported and measured at one time point. This study provides no evidence to suggest that polymorphisms of GCL are associated with self-reported depression.

Cohort profile: the Men and Parenting Pathways (MAPP) Study: a longitudinal Australian cohort study of men’s mental health and well-being at the normative age for first-time fatherhood

Publisher: BMJ

Date: 07-2021

DOI: 10.1136/BMJOPEN-2020-047909

Abstract: The Men and Parenting Pathways (MAPP) Study is a prospective investigation of men’s mental health and well-being across the normative age for transitioning to fatherhood. This includes trajectories and outcomes for men who do and do not become fathers across five annual waves of the study. Australian resident, English-speaking men aged 28–32 years at baseline were eligible. Recruitment was over a 2-year period (2015–2017) via social and traditional media and through engagement with study partners. Eight hundred and eighteen eligible men consented to participate. Of these, 664 men completed the first online survey of whom 608 consented to ongoing participation. Of the ongoing s le, 83% have participated in at least two of the first three annual online surveys. Three waves of data collection are complete. The first longitudinal analysis of MAPP data, published in 2020, identified five profiles that characterise men’s patterns of depressive symptom severity and presentations of anger. Profiles indicating pronounced anger and depressive symptoms were associated with fathers’ lack of perceived social support, and problems with coparenting and bonding with infants. In a second study, MAPP data were combined with three other Australian cohorts in a meta-analysis of associations between fathers’ self-reported sleep problems up to 3 years postpartum and symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress. Adjusted meta-analytic associations between paternal sleep and mental health risk ranged from 0.25 to 0.37. MAPP is an ongoing cohort study. Waves 4 and 5 data will be ready for analyses at the end of 2021. Future investigations will include crossed-lagged and trajectory analyses that assess inter-relatedness and changing social networks, mental health, work and family life. A nested study of COVID-19 pandemic-related mental health and coping will add two further waves of data collection in a subs le of MAPP participants.

Prenatal alcohol exposure and infant gross motor development: a prospective cohort study

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 14-05-2019

DOI: 10.1186/S12887-019-1516-5

A Comparative Examination of Longitudinal Modelling Approaches: Alcohol and Cannabis Use from Adolescence to Young Adulthood.

Publisher: Center for Open Science

Date: 31-08-2018

DOI: 10.31234/OSF.IO/KTVZW

Abstract: Background: Modelling trajectories of substance use over time is complex and requires judicious choices from a number of modelling approaches. In this study we examine the relative strengths and weakness of latent curve models (LCM), growth mixture modelling (GMM), and latent class growth analysis (LCGA). Design: Data were drawn from the Australian Temperament Project, a 36-year-old community-based longitudinal study that has followed a s le of young Australians from infancy to adulthood across 16 waves of follow-up since 1983. Models were fitted on past month alcohol use (n=1468) and cannabis use (n=549) across six waves of data collected from age 13-14 to 27-28 years. Findings: Of the three model types, GMMs were the best fit. However, these models were limited given the variance of numerous growth parameters had to be constrained to zero. Additionally, both the GMM and LCGA solutions had low entropy. The negative binomial LCMs provided a relatively well-fitting solution with fewer drawbacks in terms of growth parameter estimation and entropy issues. In all cases, model fit was enhanced when using a negative binomial distribution. Conclusions: Substance use researchers would benefit from adopting a complimentary framework by exploring both LCMs and mixture approaches, in light of the relative strengths and weaknesses as identified. Additionally, the distribution of data should inform modelling decisions.

Cohort profile: The Triple B Pregnancy Cohort Study: A longitudinal study of the relationship between alcohol, tobacco and other substance use during pregnancy and the health and well-being of Australian children and families

Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)

Date: 26-10-2018

DOI: 10.1093/IJE/DYX126

The natural history of internalizing behaviours from adolescence to emerging adulthood: findings from the Australian Temperament Project

Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)

Date: 21-07-2016

DOI: 10.1017/S0033291716001495

Abstract: The aims of the study were to describe the patterning and persistence of anxiety and depressive symptoms from adolescence to young adulthood and to examine long-term developmental relationships with earlier patterns of internalizing behaviours in childhood. We used parallel processes latent growth curve modelling to build trajectories of internalizing from adolescence to adulthood, using seven waves of follow-ups (ages 11–27 years) from 1406 participants of the Australian Temperament Project. We then used latent factors to capture the stability of maternal reported child internalizing symptoms across three waves of early childhood follow-ups (ages 5, 7 and 9 years), and examined relationships among these patterns of symptoms across the three developmental periods, adjusting for gender and socio-economic status. We observed strong continuity in depressive symptoms from adolescence to young adulthood. In contrast, adolescent anxiety was not persistent across the same period, nor was it related to later depressive symptoms. Anxiety was, however, related to non-specific stress in young adulthood, but only moderately so. Although childhood internalizing was related to adolescent and adult profiles, the associations were weak and indirect by adulthood, suggesting that other factors are important in the development of internalizing symptoms. Once established, adolescent depressive symptoms are not only strongly persistent, but also have the potential to differentiate into anxiety in young adulthood. Relationships with childhood internalizing symptoms are weak, suggesting that early adolescence may be an important period for targeted intervention, but also that further research into the childhood origins of internalizing behaviours is needed.

Maternal bonding, negative affect, and infant social-emotional development: A prospective cohort study

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 02-2021

DOI: 10.1016/J.JAD.2020.11.031

Prediction of perinatal depression from adolescence and before conception (VIHCS): 20-year prospective cohort study

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 08-2015

DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(14)62248-0

Child and Parent Physical Activity, Sleep, and Screen Time During COVID-19 and Associations With Mental Health: Implications for Future Psycho-Cardiological Disease?

Publisher: Frontiers Media SA

Date: 10-02-2022

DOI: 10.3389/FPSYT.2021.774858

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has afforded the opportunity for some to improve lifestyle behaviours, while for others it has presented key challenges. Adverse changes in global lifestyle behaviours, including physical activity, sleep, and screen time can affect proximal mental health and in turn distal cardiovascular outcomes. We investigated differences in physical activity, sleep, and screen time in parents and children during early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia compared to pre-COVID-19 national data and estimated associations between these movement behaviours with parent and child mental health. Cross-sectional baseline data from the COVID-19 Pandemic Adjustment Study (CPAS N = 2,365) were compared to nationally representative pre-pandemic data from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC N = 9,438). Participants were parents of children aged ≤ 18 years, residing in Australia. Parents provided self-report measures of mental health, physical activity and sleep quality, and reported on child mental health, physical activity and screen time. Children in CPAS had significantly more sleep problems and more weekend screen time. Their parents had significantly poorer sleep quality, despite increased weekly physical activity. Children's sleep problems were significantly associated with increased mental health problems, after accounting for socioeconomic status, physical activity, and screen time. Poorer parent sleep quality and lower levels of physical activity were significantly associated with poorer mental health. Monitoring this cohort over time will be important to examine whether changes in movement behaviour are enduring or naturally improve with the easing of restrictions and whether these changes have lasting effects on either parent or child mental health, and in turn, future risk for CVD.

Child, parent, and family mental health and functioning in Australia during COVID-19: comparison to pre-pandemic data

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 21-08-2021

DOI: 10.1007/S00787-021-01861-Z

Consequences of childhood reading difficulties and behaviour problems for educational achievement and employment in early adulthood

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 07-03-2017

DOI: 10.1111/BJEP.12150

Abstract: Reading difficulties (RDs) and behaviour problems (BPs) are two common childhood problems that have a high degree of stability and often negatively affect well-being in both the short and longer terms. The study aimed to shed light on the unique and joint consequences of these two childhood problems for educational and occupational outcomes in early adulthood. Data were drawn from a life-course longitudinal study of psychosocial development, the Australian Temperament Project. Parent and teacher reports and a standard reading test were used to define four groups of children at 7-8 years: RDs only BPs only both problems and neither problem. These groups were followed forward to ascertain educational attainment and employment status at 19-20 and 23-24 years. Each childhood problem was a unique risk for poorer educational and occupational outcomes, with co-occurring problems significantly increasing the risk of poorer educational outcomes. Further analyses revealed that the effects of childhood BPs on occupational status were mediated by secondary school non-completion, but childhood RDs were not. The findings point to the importance of screening and early intervention to prevent or minimize the development of these two childhood problems, as well as continuing to support vulnerable children to increase their likelihood of secondary school completion.

Mother–Infant Bonding and Emotional Availability at 12-Months of Age: The Role of Early Postnatal Bonding, Maternal Substance Use and Mental Health

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 16-09-2019

DOI: 10.1007/S10995-019-02809-1

Abstract: The quality of the mother-child relationship in the first year of life has far reaching implications across the life course (Bornstein in Annu Rev Psychol 65:121-158, 2014). Yet little is known about predictors of maternal bonding and emotional availability in early infancy. In this study we examined the extent to which postnatal bonding, maternal mental health, and substance use at 8-weeks postpartum predicted mother-infant bonding (self-report) and mother emotional availability (observational) at 12-months of age. Data were obtained from an Australian longitudinal cohort study of pregnancy (n = 308). Data were collected during pregnancy, at birth, and postnatally at 8-weeks and 12-months. The results show strong continuity between postnatal bonding at 8-weeks and 12-months. Early postpartum stress and depression were associated with bonding at 12-months however, the effect did not persist after adjustment for bonding at 8-weeks. Tobacco use at 8-weeks, but no other indicators of mental health, predicted lower emotional availability scores at 12-months. Results suggest that the mother's felt bond to her child is stable across the first year of life and that early bonding is a more robust indicator of bonding at 12-months than a mother's mental health or substance use. These findings point to the importance of clinical and public health investments in establishing a strong bond between mother and child in the early postpartum period.

Adult Gambling Problems and Histories of Mental Health and Substance Use: Findings from a Prospective Multi-Wave Australian Cohort Study

Publisher: MDPI AG

Date: 04-2021

DOI: 10.3390/JCM10071406

Abstract: Little is known about the cumulative effect of adolescent and young adult mental health difficulties and substance use problems on gambling behaviour in adulthood. We use data from one of Australia’s longest running studies of social and emotional development to examine the extent to which: (1) mental health symptoms (depressive and anxiety symptoms) and substance use (weekly binge drinking, tobacco, and cannabis use) from adolescence (13–18 years) into young adulthood (19–28 years) predict gambling problems in adulthood (31–32 years) and (2) risk relationships differ by sex. Analyses were based on responses from 1365 adolescent and young adult participants, spanning seven waves of data collection (1998–2014). Persistent adolescent to young adult binge drinking, tobacco use and cannabis use predicted gambling at age 31–32 years (OR = 2.30–3.42). Binge drinking and tobacco use in young adulthood also predicted gambling at age 31–32 years (OR = 2.04–2.54). Prior mental health symptoms were not associated with gambling and no risk relationships differed by sex. Findings suggest that gambling problems in adulthood may be related to the earlier development of other addictive behaviours, and that interventions targeting substance use from adolescence to young adulthood may confer additional gains in preventing later gambling behaviours.

Weight in the First Year of Life: Associations with Maternal Prepregnancy Body Mass Index and Gestational Weight Gain—Findings from a Longitudinal Pregnancy Cohort

Publisher: Georg Thieme Verlag KG

Date: 08-02-2017

DOI: 10.1055/S-0036-1597992

Abstract: Objective To investigate the obesogenic influence of maternal prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) and gestational weight gain (GWG) on infant weight at birth and 12 months postpartum in an Australian general population s le. Methods Data on 1,305 pregnant women were collected on prepregnancy BMI and GWG through maternal interview, on infant weight at birth through hospital records, and on infant weight 12 months postbirth through direct measurement. Relationships between prepregnancy, gestational weight exposures, and infant weight outcomes were assessed with and without adjustment for potential confounding. Results We observed a 14 to 24 g increase in infant birth weight for every 1 kg increase in maternal weight (infant birth weight: β(BMI) = 0.014, p 0.000 β(GWG) = 0.012, p 0.000 and 12 months: β(BMI) = 0.018, p 0.000 β(GWG) = 0.024, p 0.000). Effects remained after adjustment for potential confounders (infant birth weight: β(BMI) = 0.014, p 0.000 β(GWG) = 0.012, p 0.001 and 12 months: β(BMI)= 0.017, p ≤ 0.033 β(GWG) = 0.023, p = 0.001). However, the effects observed were small, and there was no evidence that GWG mediated relationships between preconception BMI and infant weight. Conclusion In a general population s le, there is a significant but not substantial observed relationship between maternal prepregnancy BMI and GWG and infant weight outcomes, suggesting a minor role for these factors at a population level.

Socioeconomic Disadvantage in Infancy and Academic and Self-Regulation Outcomes

Publisher: American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)

Date: 05-2019

DOI: 10.1542/PEDS.2018-2640

Abstract: A comprehensive understanding of how timing of exposure to disadvantage affects long-term developmental risk is needed for greater precision in child health policy. We investigated whether socioeconomic disadvantage in infancy (age 0–1 years) directly affects academic and self-regulation problems in late childhood (age 10–12 years), independent of disadvantage at school entry (age 4–6 years). Analyses were replicated in 2 population-based cohorts: the Australian Temperament Project (ATP N = 2443) and the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC N = 5107). Generalized linear models were used to estimate the crude and adjusted effects. Marginal structural models were used to estimate the controlled direct effect of socioeconomic disadvantage in infancy on academic and self-regulation outcomes in late childhood, independent of disadvantage at school entry. In both cohorts, socioeconomic disadvantage in infancy and at school entry was associated with poorer academic and self-regulation outcomes. Socioeconomic disadvantage in infancy had a direct effect on academic outcomes not mediated by disadvantage at school entry (ATP: risk ratio [RR] = 1.42 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.09–1.86 LSAC: RR = 1.87 95% CI: 1.52–2.31). Little evidence was found for a direct effect of disadvantage in infancy on self-regulation (ATP: RR = 1.22 95% CI: 0.89–1.65 LSAC: RR = 1.19 95% CI: 0.95–1.49). Socioeconomic disadvantage in infancy had a direct effect on academic but not self-regulation outcomes in late childhood. More precise public policy responses are needed that consider both the timing of children’s exposure to disadvantage and the specific developmental domain impacted.

Alcohol and parenthood: An integrative analysis of the effects of transition to parenthood in three Australasian cohorts

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 04-2019

DOI: 10.1016/J.DRUGALCDEP.2019.02.004

Abstract: To determine the extent to which the transition to parenthood protects against heavy and problematic alcohol consumption in young men and women. Integrated participant-level data analysis from three population-based prospective Australasian cohort studies. General community participants from the Australian Temperament Study, the Christchurch Health and Development Study, and the Victorian Adolescent Health Cohort Study. Recent binge drinking, alcohol abuse/dependence and number of standard drinks consumed per occasion. 4015 participants (2151 females 54%) were assessed on four occasions between ages 21 and 35. Compared to women with children aged <12 months, women who had not transitioned to parenthood were more likely to meet the criteria for alcohol abuse/dependence (fully adjusted risk ratio [RR] 3.5 95% CI 1.5-7.9) and to report recent binge drinking (RR 3.0 95% CI 2.1-4.3). The proportion of women meeting the criteria for alcohol abuse/dependence and/or binge drinking increased with the age of participants' youngest child, as did the mean number of standard drinks consumed on each occasion (1.8 if the youngest child was <1 year of age vs. 3.6 for 5+ years of age). Associations between parenthood and male drinking behaviour were considerably weaker. For most women in their twenties and thirties, parenting a child <1 year of age was associated with reduced alcohol consumption. However, this protective effect diminished after 12 months with drinking levels close to pre-parenthood levels after five years. There was little change in male drinking with the transition to parenthood.

Promoting Adolescent Health and Well-Being Through Outdoor Youth Programs: Results From a Multisite Australian Study

Publisher: Sagamore Publishing, LLC

Date: 2018

DOI: 10.18666/JOREL-2018-V10-I1-8087

Australian community nurses’ encounters with early relational trauma: a qualitative study of lived experiences and the impact of specialist training

Publisher: Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation

Date: 31-08-2022

DOI: 10.37464/2020.393.681

Family risk factors for cannabis use: A population-based survey of Australian secondary school students

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 06-2003

DOI: 10.1080/09595230100100570

Improving primary to secondary school transitions: A systematic review of school-based interventions to prepare and support student social-emotional and educational outcomes

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 08-2023

DOI: 10.1016/J.EDUREV.2023.100553

Does Positive Mental Health in Adolescence Longitudinally Predict Healthy Transitions in Young Adulthood?

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 19-02-2016

DOI: 10.1007/S10902-016-9723-3

Young adult mental health sequelae of eating and body image disturbances in adolescence

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 08-07-2021

DOI: 10.1002/EAT.23575

Abstract: There has been interest in the antecedents and mental health impacts of eating and body image disturbances in adolescence. Less is known about longer‐term mental health impacts into young adulthood, as longitudinal studies with data spanning this developmental period are rare. We capitalize on mental health data collected across adolescence and young adulthood from a population‐based cohort study that has been following Australian children and their families from infancy to young adulthood. This s le comprised 1,568 participants who completed the Eating Disorder Inventory drive for thinness and bulimic behavior (the severity of binge‐purge patterns) subscales, and a modified version of the body dissatisfaction subscale in mid‐adolescence (15–16 years), or the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales in young adulthood (19–20, 23–24, and 27–28 years). After adjusting for baseline demographic and prior mental health factors ( years of age), all three indices of eating and body image disturbances in adolescence predicted each mental health outcome in young adulthood. Mental health risks associated with adolescent body dissatisfaction and bulimic behavior scores remained stable across young adulthood, with men having more pronounced problems associated with bulimic behavior scores than women. In contrast, mental health risks associated with adolescent drive for thinness scores diminished across this period similarly for men and women. Findings suggest that adolescent eating and body image disturbances may have long‐term mental health impacts that extend into young adulthood. This underscores the need for early preventative intervention, and longer‐term monitoring and support for body image and eating disturbances.

Spry_Preventing postpartum depression_Preprint

Publisher: Center for Open Science

Date: 11-05-2021

DOI: 10.31234/OSF.IO/2CJD3

Abstract: Postnatal depression (PND) is common and predicts a range of adverse maternal and offspring outcomes. PND rates are highest amongst women with persistent mental health problems before pregnancy, and antenatal healthcare provides ideal opportunity to intervene. We examined antenatal perceived social support as a potential intervention target in preventing PND symptoms among women with prior mental health problems. A total of 398 Australian women (600 pregnancies) were assessed repeatedly for mental health problems before pregnancy (ages 14-29 years, 1992-2006), and again during pregnancy, 2 months postpartum, and 1 year postpartum (2006-2014). Causal mediation analysis found that intervention on perceived antenatal social support has the potential to reduce rates of PND symptoms by up to 3% (from 15% to 12%) in women with persistent preconception symptoms. Supplementary analyses found that the role of low antenatal social support was independent of concurrent antenatal depressive symptoms. Combined, these two factors mediated up to more than half of the association between preconception mental health problems and PND symptoms. Trialing dual interventions on antenatal depressive symptoms and perceived social support represents one promising strategy to prevent PND in women with persistent preconception symptoms. Interventions promoting mental health before parenthood may yield greater reduction in PND symptoms by disrupting a developmental cascade of risks via these and other pathways.

The prevalence of probable mental health disorders among hospital healthcare workers during COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 06-2023

DOI: 10.1016/J.JAD.2023.03.012

Data Resource Profile: Melbourne Children’s LifeCourse initiative (LifeCourse)

Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)

Date: 10-05-2022

DOI: 10.1093/IJE/DYAC086

Genetics and public health--evolution, or revolution?

Publisher: BMJ

Date: 11-2004

DOI: 10.1136/JECH.2003.018515

The Victorian Intergenerational Health Cohort Study (VIHCS): Study design of a preconception cohort from parent adolescence to offspring childhood

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 2020

DOI: 10.1111/PPE.12602

Abstract: There is increasing evidence that parental determinants of offspring early life development begin well before pregnancy. We established the Victorian Intergenerational Health Cohort Study (VIHCS) to examine the contributions of parental mental health, substance use, and socio-economic characteristics before pregnancy to child emotional, physical, social, and cognitive development. Men and women were recruited from the Victorian Adolescent Health Cohort (VAHCS), an existing cohort study beginning in 1992 that assessed a representative s le of 1943 secondary school students in Victoria, Australia, repeatedly from adolescence (wave 1, mean age 14 years) to adulthood (wave 10, mean age 35 years). Victorian Adolescent Health Cohort participants with children born between 2006 and 2013 were recruited to VIHCS and invited to participate during trimester three, at 2 months postpartum, and 1 year postpartum. Parental mental health, substance use and socio-economic characteristics were assessed repeatedly throughout infant characteristics were assessed postnatally and in infancy. Data will be supplemented by linkage to routine datasets. A further follow-up is underway as children reach 8 years of age. Of the 1307 infants born to VAHCS participants between 2006 and 2013, 1030 were recruited to VIHCS. At VIHCS study entry, 18% of recruited parents had preconception common mental disorder in adolescence and young adulthood, 18% smoked daily in adolescence and young adulthood, and 6% had not completed high school. Half of VIHCS infants were female (48%), 4% were from multiple births, and 7% were preterm (<37 weeks' gestation). Victorian Intergenerational Health Cohort Study is a prospective cohort of 1030 children with up to nine waves of preconception parental data and three waves of perinatal parental and infant data. These will allow examination of continuities of parental health and health risks from the decades before pregnancy to offspring childhood, and the contributions of exposures before pregnancy to offspring outcomes in childhood.

Adolescent resilience: A concept analysis

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 21-01-2003

DOI: 10.1016/S0140-1971(02)00118-5

Abstract: There is need for greater clarity around the concept of resilience as it relates to the period of adolescence. Literature on resilience published between 1990 and 2000 and relevant to adolescents aged between 12‐ and 18‐years of age was reviewed with the aim of examining the various uses of the term, and commenting on how specific ways of conceptualizing of resilience may help develop new research agendas in the field. By bringing together ideas on resilience from a variety of research and clinical perspectives, the purpose of the review is to explicate core elements of resilience in more precise ways, in the hope that greater conceptual clarity will lead to a range of tailored interventions that benefit young people.

The Australian Temperament Project Generation 3 study: a population-based multigenerational prospective cohort study of socioemotional health and development

Publisher: BMJ

Date: 09-2022

DOI: 10.1136/BMJOPEN-2022-061854

Abstract: The Australian Temperament Project Generation 3 Study (ATPG3) was established to examine the extent to which offspring social and emotional development is shaped in the decades prior to conception, in parent and grandparent histories of psychosocial adjustment (eg, emotional regulation, relationship quality and prosociality) and maladjustment (eg, depressive symptoms, substance use and antisociality). The Australian Temperament Project (ATP) commenced in 1983 as a population representative survey of the social and emotional health of 2443 young Australians (Generation 2: 4–8 months old) and their parents (Generation 1). Since then, families have been followed from infancy to young adulthood (16 waves). Between 2012 and 2018, the cohort was screened biannually for pregnancies (Generation 3), with assessments conducted in the third trimester of pregnancy, and at 8 weeks and 1 year postpartum. A total of 1167 offspring (607 female) born to 703 Generation 2 parents (400 mothers) were recruited into the ATPG3 Study. Findings to date highlight: (1) strong continuities in depressive symptoms and substance use from adolescence through to becoming a parent (2) a role for persistent preconception mental health problems in risk for parent–child bonding difficulties, as well as infant emotional reactivity and behaviour problems (3) the importance of secure attachments in adolescence in reducing long-term risk for postpartum mental health problems and (4) the protective nature of perceived social support, both preconception and postpartum, in strengthening relationship quality and social support during the COVID-19 pandemic. Assessments of ATPG3 families in preschool and middle childhood are currently funded and underway. We intend to maintain the offspring cohort through childhood, adolescence, young adulthood and into parenthood. Data will be used to map preconception determinants of emotional health, and enhance approaches to population monitoring and targeted intervention over the life course and across generations.

Retention strategies in longitudinal cohort studies: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 26-11-2018

DOI: 10.1186/S12874-018-0586-7

Cannabis and tobacco use prior to pregnancy and subsequent offspring birth outcomes: a 20-year intergenerational prospective cohort study

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 19-08-2021

DOI: 10.1038/S41598-021-95460-2

Abstract: There is increasing evidence that the life-course origins of health and development begin before conception. We examined associations between timing and frequency of preconception cannabis and tobacco use and next generation preterm birth (PTB), low birth weight (LBW) and small for gestational age. 665 participants in a general population cohort were repeatedly assessed on tobacco and cannabis use between ages 14–29 years, before pregnancy. Associations were estimated using logistic regression. Preconception parent (either maternal or paternal) daily cannabis use age 15–17 was associated with sixfold increases in the odds of offspring PTB (aOR 6.65, 95% CI 1.92, 23.09), and offspring LBW (aOR 5.84, 95% CI 1.70–20.08), after adjusting for baseline sociodemographic factors, parent sex, offspring sex, family socioeconomic status, parent mental health at baseline, and concurrent tobacco use. There was little evidence of associations with preconception parental cannabis use at other ages or preconception parental tobacco use. Findings support the hypothesis that the early life origins of growth begin before conception and provide a compelling rationale for prevention of frequent use during adolescence. This is pertinent given liberalisation of cannabis policy.

Prematurity at birth and adolescent depressive disorder

Publisher: Royal College of Psychiatrists

Date: 05-2004

DOI: 10.1192/BJP.184.5.446

Abstract: Association between prematurity/low birthweight and adolescent depressive disorder studied using a case–control design within a prospective cohort study of 2032 adolescents. Odds for depressive disorder were 11-fold (95% C12–62) higher for the premature/low-birthweight participants after regression adjustment for major confounding factors. For premature/low-birthweight females, cumulative rates of depressive disorder over 30 months were 15.2% (95% C111.1–20.5) v. 1.8% (95% C11.6–2.1) in those with normal deliveries. Physiological adaptations in utero before full term may be implicated causally in some cases of depression in adolescence.

Weight in the First Year of Life: Associations with Maternal Prepregnancy Body Mass Index and Gestational Weight Gain—Findings from a Longitudinal Pregnancy Cohort

Publisher: Georg Thieme Verlag KG

Date: 08-02-2017

DOI: 10.1055/S-0036-1597992

Abstract: Objective To investigate the obesogenic influence of maternal prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) and gestational weight gain (GWG) on infant weight at birth and 12 months postpartum in an Australian general population s le. Methods Data on 1,305 pregnant women were collected on prepregnancy BMI and GWG through maternal interview, on infant weight at birth through hospital records, and on infant weight 12 months postbirth through direct measurement. Relationships between prepregnancy, gestational weight exposures, and infant weight outcomes were assessed with and without adjustment for potential confounding. Results We observed a 14 to 24 g increase in infant birth weight for every 1 kg increase in maternal weight (infant birth weight: β(BMI) = 0.014, p 0.000 β(GWG) = 0.012, p 0.000 and 12 months: β(BMI) = 0.018, p 0.000 β(GWG) = 0.024, p 0.000). Effects remained after adjustment for potential confounders (infant birth weight: β(BMI) = 0.014, p 0.000 β(GWG) = 0.012, p 0.001 and 12 months: β(BMI)= 0.017, p ≤ 0.033 β(GWG) = 0.023, p = 0.001). However, the effects observed were small, and there was no evidence that GWG mediated relationships between preconception BMI and infant weight. Conclusion In a general population s le, there is a significant but not substantial observed relationship between maternal prepregnancy BMI and GWG and infant weight outcomes, suggesting a minor role for these factors at a population level.

Study protocol: Imaging brain development in the Childhood to Adolescence Transition Study (iCATS)

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 30-04-2014

DOI: 10.1186/1471-2431-14-115

Exploring Perinatal Indicators of Infant Social-Emotional Development: A Review of the Replicated Evidence

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 14-06-2021

DOI: 10.1007/S10567-021-00356-2

Cohort Profile: The Men and Parenting Pathways (MAPP) Study: A longitudinal Australian cohort study of men’s mental health and wellbeing at the normative age for first-time fatherhood.

Publisher: Center for Open Science

Date: 29-09-2020

DOI: 10.31234/OSF.IO/BQHYZ

Abstract: MAPP Study Cohort Profile - Tables

Health‐risk behaviours among adolescent survivors of childhood cancer

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 08-07-2005

DOI: 10.1002/PBC.20421

Abstract: The purpose of the study was to investigate smoking, alcohol use, illicit drug use and sexual risk taking among adolescent survivors of childhood cancer treated in Australia. A comparison study selecting on exposure (cancer vs. healthy) and administering a branched computerised questionnaire assessing health-risk behaviour, predominately by telephone interview. One hundred fifty-three adolescent survivors of childhood cancer were compared with age matched healthy adolescents drawn from one of two Australian population based surveys of adolescent health. Behaviours assessed were tobacco use, alcohol use, binge drinking, cannabis use, pain reliever use, other illicit drug use and unprotected sex. Compared to their healthy peers, younger survivors (13- to 17-years) were at an increased risk of reporting pain reliever use (OR = 2.1) for non-medical purposes, but lower risk of binge drinking (OR = 0.20), cannabis use (OR = 0.25), other illicit drug use (OR = 0.31), tobacco use (OR = 0.38) and alcohol use (OR = 0.44). Older survivors (18- to 24-years) were at an increased risk of reporting alcohol use (OR 1.5), but at lower risk of reporting cannabis use (OR = 0.27), other illicit drug use (OR = 0.44) and tobacco use (OR = 0.47). Survival analysis using the full adolescent survivor cohort (13- to 24-years) showed that the age of onset of tobacco use was later for cancer survivors (hazard ratio HR = 0.65). Adolescent cancer survivors show reduced involvement in most health-risk behaviours, with the exception of pain reliever use among younger survivors and alcohol use among the older survivors. Although risks were reduced a substantial proportion of survivors engage in these behaviours.

Adolescent antecedents of maternal and paternal perinatal depression: a 36-year prospective cohort

Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)

Date: 28-04-2020

DOI: 10.1017/S0033291720000902

Abstract: Rates of common mental health problems (depression/anxiety) rise sharply in adolescence and peak in young adulthood, often coinciding with the transition to parenthood. Little is known regarding the persistence of common mental health problems from adolescence to the perinatal period in both mothers and fathers. A total of 393 mothers (686 pregnancies) and 257 fathers (357 pregnancies) from the intergenerational Australian Temperament Project Generation 3 Study completed self-report assessments of depression and anxiety in adolescence (ages 13–14, 15–16, 17–18 years) and young adulthood (ages 19–20, 23–24, 27–28 years). The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale was used to assess depressive symptoms at 32 weeks pregnancy and 12 months postpartum in mothers, and at 12 months postpartum in fathers. Most pregnancies (81%) in which mothers reported perinatal depression were preceded by a history of mental health problems in adolescence or young adulthood. Similarly, most pregnancies (83%) in which fathers reported postnatal depression were preceded by a preconception history of mental health problems. After adjustment for potential confounders, the odds of self-reporting perinatal depression in both women and men were consistently higher in those with a history of persistent mental health problems across adolescence and young adulthood than those without (OR women 5.7, 95% CI 2.9–10.9 OR men 5.5, 95% CI 1.03–29.70). Perinatal depression, for the majority of parents, is a continuation of mental health problems with onsets well before pregnancy. Strategies to promote good perinatal mental health should start before parenthood and include both men and women.

The prevalence, age distribution and comorbidity of personality disorders in Australian women

Publisher: SAGE Publications

Date: 11-07-2017

DOI: 10.1177/0004867416649032

Abstract: We aimed to describe the prevalence and age distribution of personality disorders and their comorbidity with other psychiatric disorders in an age-stratified s le of Australian women aged ⩾25 years. In idual personality disorders (paranoid, schizoid, schizotypal, histrionic, narcissistic, borderline, antisocial, avoidant, dependent, obsessive-compulsive), lifetime mood, anxiety, eating and substance misuse disorders were diagnosed utilising validated semi-structured clinical interviews (Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-TR Axis I Disorders, Research Version, Non-patient Edition and Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis II Personality Disorders). The prevalence of personality disorders and Clusters were determined from the study population ( n = 768), and standardised to the Australian population using the 2011 Australian Bureau of Statistics census data. Prevalence by age and the association with mood, anxiety, eating and substance misuse disorders was also examined. The overall prevalence of personality disorders in women was 21.8% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 18.7, 24.9). Cluster C personality disorders (17.5%, 95% CI: 16.0, 18.9) were more common than Cluster A (5.3%, 95% CI: 3.5, 7.0) and Cluster B personality disorders (3.2%, 95% CI: 1.8, 4.6). Of the in idual personality disorders, obsessive-compulsive (10.3%, 95% CI: 8.0, 12.6), avoidant (9.3%, 95% CI: 7.1, 11.5), paranoid (3.9%, 95% CI: 3.1, 4.7) and borderline (2.7%, 95% CI: 1.4, 4.0) were among the most prevalent. The prevalence of other personality disorders was low (⩽1.7%). Being younger (25–34 years) was predictive of having any personality disorder (odds ratio: 2.36, 95% CI: 1.18, 4.74), as was being middle-aged (odds ratio: 2.41, 95% CI: 1.23, 4.72). Among the strongest predictors of having any personality disorder was having a lifetime history of psychiatric disorders (odds ratio: 4.29, 95% CI: 2.90, 6.33). Mood and anxiety disorders were the most common comorbid lifetime psychiatric disorders. Approximately one in five women was identified with a personality disorder, emphasising that personality disorders are relatively common in the population. A more thorough understanding of the distribution of personality disorders and psychiatric comorbidity in the general population is crucial to assist allocation of health care resources to in iduals living with these disorders.

Parent and child mental health trajectories April-October 2020: Strict lockdown versus no lockdown in Australia

Publisher: Center for Open Science

Date: 26-03-2021

DOI: 10.31234/OSF.IO/BVE3M

Abstract: Objective: To control a second-wave COVID-19 outbreak, the state of Victoria in Australia experienced one of the world’s first long and strict lockdowns over July-October 2020, while the rest of Australia experienced ‘COVID-normal’ with minimal restrictions. We (1) investigate trajectories of parent/child mental health outcomes and (2) identify baseline demographic, in idual, and COVID-19-related factors associated with mental health trajectories. Method: Online community s le of 1,877 Australian parents with rapid repeated assessment over 10 time-points over April-October, 2020. Measures assessed parent mental health (Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales-21) child depression symptoms (13-item Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire) and child anxiety symptoms (four-items from Brief Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale).Results: Mental health trajectories shadowed COVID-19 infection rates. Victorians reported a large peak in mental health symptoms at the time of the second-wave lockdown compared to other states. Key baseline predictors, including parent and child loneliness (standardized regression coefficient [β]=·09-·39), parent/child diagnoses (β=·11-·22), couple conflict (β=·09-·19), and COVID-19 stressors, such as worry/concern about COVID-19, illness, and loss of job (β=·07-·22), predicted elevated trajectories. Effects of predictors on parent and child mental health trajectories are illustrated in an online interactive app for readers (lingtax.shinyapps.io/CPAS_trend/).Conclusion: Our findings provide evidence of worse trajectories of parent and child mental health symptoms associated with strict, sustained, COVID-19 lockdown in Victoria, compared to non-locked states in the rest of Australia. We identified several baseline factors that may be useful in detecting high risk families who are likely to require additional support early on in future lockdowns.

Measuring Positive Childhood Experiences: Testing the Structural and Predictive Validity of the Health Outcomes From Positive Experiences (HOPE) Framework

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 08-2022

DOI: 10.1016/J.ACAP.2021.11.003

Abstract: Positive childhood experiences (PCEs), that occur within secure and nurturing social environments, are fundamental to healthy physical, social-emotional, and cognitive development. However, reliable measures of these experiences are not yet widely available. We used data from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC) to empirically represent and psychometrically evaluate 3 primary domains of PCEs defined within the Health Outcomes from Positive Experiences (HOPE) framework, specifically: 1) nurturing and supportive relationships 2) safe and protective environments and 3) constructive social engagement and connectedness. LSAC is a nationally representative cohort that has followed young Australians from birth since 2004. LSAC data were used to represent the 3 primary HOPE-PCEs domains (birth to 11 years) across 4 inter-related PCEs constructs: 1) positive parenting, 2) trusting and supportive relationships, 3) supportive neighborhood and home learning environments, and 4) social engagement and enjoyment. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test the proposed 4-factor structure. Predictive validity was examined through associations with mental health problems and academic difficulties at 14 to 15 years. The 4-factor structure was supported by empirical data at each time point. Higher exposure to PCEs across each domain was associated with lower reporting of mental health problems (β = -0.20 to -2.05) and academic difficulties (β = -0.01 to -0.13) in adolescence. The 4 LSAC-based HOPE-PCEs have sufficient internal coherence and predictive validity to offer a potentially useful way of conceptualizing and measuring PCEs in future cohort studies and intervention trials aiming to enhance the understanding of, and mitigate the negative impacts of, adverse childhood experiences.

Efficacy of a Smartphone App Intervention for Reducing Caregiver Stress: Randomized Controlled Trial (Preprint)

Publisher: JMIR Publications Inc.

Date: 18-12-2019

DOI: 10.2196/PREPRINTS.17541

Abstract: aregivers play a pivotal role in maintaining an economically viable health care system, yet they are characterized by low levels of psychological well-being and consistently report unmet needs for psychological support. Mobile app–based (mobile health [mHealth]) interventions present a novel approach to both reducing stress and improving well-being. his study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a self-guided mobile app–based psychological intervention for people providing care to family or friends with a physical or mental disability. n a randomized, single-blind, controlled trial, 183 caregivers recruited through the web were randomly allocated to either an intervention (n=73) or active control (n=110) condition. The intervention app contained treatment modules combining daily self-monitoring with third-wave (mindfulness-based) cognitive-behavioral therapies, whereas the active control app contained only self-monitoring features. Both programs were completed over a 5-week period. It was hypothesized that intervention app exposure would be associated with decreases in depression, anxiety, and stress, and increases in well-being, self-esteem, optimism, primary and secondary control, and social support. Outcomes were assessed at baseline, postintervention, and 3-4 months postintervention. App quality was also assessed. n total, 25% (18/73) of the intervention participants were lost to follow-up at 3 months, and 30.9% (34/110) of the participants from the wait-list control group dropped out before the postintervention survey. The intervention group experienced reductions in stress ( i b /i =−2.07 i P /i =.04) and depressive symptoms ( i b /i =−1.36 i P /i =.05) from baseline to postintervention. These changes were further enhanced from postintervention to follow-up, with the intervention group continuing to report lower levels of depression ( i b /i =−1.82 i P /i =.03) and higher levels of emotional well-being ( i b /i =6.13 i P /i & .001), optimism ( i b /i =0.78 i P /i =.007), self-esteem ( i b /i =−0.84 i P /i =.005), support from family ( i b /i =2.15 i P /i =.001), support from significant others ( i b /i =2.66 i P /i & .001), and subjective well-being ( i b /i =4.82 i P /i & .001). On average, participants completed 2.5 (SD 1.05) out of 5 treatment modules. The overall quality of the app was also rated highly, with a mean score of 3.94 out of a maximum score of 5 (SD 0.58). his study demonstrates that mHealth psychological interventions are an effective treatment option for caregivers experiencing high levels of stress. Recommendations for improving mHealth interventions for caregivers include offering flexibility and customization in the treatment design. ustralian New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry ACTRN12616000996460 www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=371170

Depression and anxiety in adolescent and young adult offenders: A longitudinal study from 13 to 32 years using the Australian Temperament Project

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 05-2019

DOI: 10.1016/J.JCRIMJUS.2018.09.005

Association between the COMT Val(158)Met polymorphism and propensity to anxiety in an Australian population-based longitudinal study of adolescent health

Publisher: Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)

Date: 06-2005

DOI: 10.1097/00041444-200506000-00007

Abstract: Catechol-O-methyltransferase plays a central role in the metabolism of biogenic amines such as norepinephrine, dopamine and serotonin. Functional studies have demonstrated a dose relationship between ValMet genotypes and catechol-O-methyltransferase activity. Compared with the ValVal genotype, the ValMet and MetMet genotypes result in two- and four-fold reductions in catechol-O-methyltransferase activity, respectively. Two recent reports have observed the association between the MetMet genotype and risk of anxiety in adult populations. We examined the association between the ValMet genotypes and propensity to anxiety across adolescence. Participants were drawn from an eight-wave study of the mental and behavioural health of over 2000 young Australians followed from 14 to 24 years of age (Victorian Adolescent Health Cohort Study, 1992 to present). DNA was received from 962 participants using a cheek swab collection method. The odds of reporting persistent episodic anxiety (phobic avoidance, panic attacks) were doubled among carriers of the MetMet genotype (odds ratio 2.0, 95% confidence interval 1.1-3.4, P=0.014). A dose relationship between additional copies of the Met allele and persistent episodic anxiety was also observed (1.5, 1.1-1.94, P=0.007). Stratification by sex showed that the risk effect of the Met allele was among females only. No association was observed for measures of neuroticism, persistent generalized anxiety, or a composite measure of psychiatric distress. These data replicate previous findings suggesting association between the ValMet polymorphism and specific expressions of anxiety among females.

Couple relationship quality and offspring attachment security: a systematic review with meta-analysis

Publisher: Informa UK Limited

Date: 16-11-2017

DOI: 10.1080/14616734.2017.1401651

Abstract: This paper provides a meta-analytic examination of strength and direction of association between parents' couple relationship quality and early childhood attachment security (5 years and under). A comprehensive search of four EBSCOhost databases, Informit, Web of Science, and grey literature yielded 24 studies meeting eligibility criteria. Heterogeneity of the couple quality construct and measurement was marked. To disaggregate potentially differentially acting factors, we grouped homogeneous studies, creating two predictor variables defined as "positive dyadic adjustment" and "inter-parental conflict". Associations of each construct with offspring attachment security were examined in two separate meta-analyses. Inter-parental conflict was inversely associated (8 studies, k = 17, r = -0.28, CI = [-0.39 to -0.18]), and dyadic adjustment was not associated with offspring attachment security (5 studies, k = 12, r = 0.14, CI = [-0.03 to 0.32]). The study supports finer distinctions of couple relationship constructs and measurement in developmental research, assessment, and intervention.

The prevalence of childhood sexual abuse and adolescent unwanted sexual contact among boys and girls living in Victoria, Australia

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 05-2010

DOI: 10.1016/J.CHIABU.2010.01.004

Abstract: Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is associated with both short- and long-term adverse mental and physical health consequences, yet there remains considerable controversy about the prevalence of CSA in the general population. There is also little prospective data on unwanted sexual contact (USC) collected during adolescence. Data from a 10-year cohort study of a nationally representative s le of students aged 14-15 years in Victoria, Australia from 1992 to 2003 was used. CSA prior to age 16 was assessed retrospectively at age 24 years using a 6-item validated questionnaire. USC was assessed prospectively via questionnaire at 3 time points during adolescence. Multiple imputation was used to handle missing data. One thousand nine hundred forty-three of 2032 eligible adolescents participated in at least one wave of the study. One thousand seven hundred forty-five (812 males and 933 females) provided sufficient information to allow for multiple imputation and inclusion in the main analysis. The prevalence of any CSA was substantially higher among girls [17%, 95% confidence interval (CI): 14-20%] than boys (7%, 95% CI: 3-10%), as was the prevalence of USC reported during adolescence (14%, 95% CI 11-16%, versus 6%, 95% CI: 4-8% respectively). These findings highlight the high prevalence of childhood sexual abuse and unwanted sexual contact among girls as well as boys. In order to accurately inform early recognition, intervention and education programs for in iduals with a history of CSA the frequency of sexual abuse must first be precisely quantified. Developing more standardized approaches will be important in order to improve our understanding of the extent of this problem.

The lived experience of stress for parents in the context of COVID‐19–related disruption

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 07-03-2023

DOI: 10.1111/FARE.12867

Abstract: This mixed methods study sought to explore the lived experience of stress for parents of young dependent children during COVID‐19 lockdowns in Australia. Public health restrictions implemented during the COVID‐19 pandemic disproportionately burdened parents as they balanced novel and competing role demands. Despite growing research on impacts to parent mental health, much less is known about parenting at the experiential level during this period. Data were derived from free‐text survey responses collected during 2020 in an Australian population cohort study and analyzed in a mixed methods approach focusing on descriptive phenomenology. Twenty‐eight parent accounts of either ‘extreme’ or ‘minimal’ stress experiences were subject to phenomenological analysis of the in idual, interpersonal, and contextual factors associated with each stress category. Three themes defined ‘extreme’ stress experiences: inadequacy of resources to cope, perceived lack of control, and compounding stressors. Two themes characterized ‘minimal’ stress experiences: feeling well resourced to cope and the absence of significant disruption to everyday life. Findings highlight three targets in particular: compounding stressors, family relationships, and gendered differences in parental stress. Intervention efforts should focus on better resourcing parents experiencing accumulating stressors through provision of in idual and relational support and by addressing the higher burden experienced by mothers compared with fathers across pandemic related lockdowns.

The Structural Stability of Positive Development Across Young Adulthood: Longitudinal Findings From the Australian Temperament Project

Publisher: SAGE Publications

Date: 03-03-2017

DOI: 10.1177/2167696817695133

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the structural stability of positive development across the 20s using data from one of Australia’s oldest population-based studies of social–emotional development. Positive development was indicated by civic action and engagement, trust and tolerance of others, trust in authorities and organizations, social competence, and life satisfaction. Results extend an earlier published model spanning 19–20 and 23–24 years by incorporating a new wave of data collected at 27–28 years. The age 27–28 latent model was gender invariant and a robust replication of our earlier model. Associations between the latent constructs in the mid- to late 20s were stronger than those in emerging adulthood. This work provides evidence of a cohesive higher order construct of positive development from late adolescence to the late 20s and has the potential to inform measurement of strength-based research and prevention programs in the emerging and young adult periods.

An overview of penalised regression methods for informing the selection of predictive markers

Publisher: Center for Open Science

Date: 16-06-2020

DOI: 10.31234/OSF.IO/JZ4RT

Abstract: Background: Penalised regression methods are a useful atheoretical approach for identifying key predictive indicators when one’s initial list of indicators is substantial, a process which may aid in informing population health surveillance. The purpose of this study was to examine the predictive performance and feature (i.e., variable) selection capability of common penalised regression methods (LASSO, adaptive LASSO, and elastic-net), compared with traditional logistic regression and forward selection methods. Design: Data were drawn from the Australian Temperament Project, a longitudinal cohort study beginning in 1983. The analytic s le consisted of 1,292 (707 women) participants. A total of 102 adolescent psychosocial and contextual indicators were available to predict young adult daily smoking. Findings: Penalised regression methods showed small improvements in predictive performance over logistic regression and forward selection. However, no single penalised regression model outperformed the others. Elastic-net models selected more indicators than either LASSO or adaptive LASSO. Additionally, more regularised models included fewer indicators, yet had comparable predictive performance. Forward selection methods dismissed many indicators identified as important in the penalised regression models. Conclusions: Although overall predictive accuracy was only marginally better with penalised regression method, benefits were most clear in their capacity to select a manageable subset of indicators. Preference to competing penalised regression methods may therefore be guided by feature selection capability, and thus interpretative considerations, rather than predictive performance alone.

The impact of outdoor youth programs on positive adolescent development: Study protocol for a controlled crossover trial

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 2018

DOI: 10.1016/J.IJER.2017.10.004

Association of adolescent symptoms of depression and anxiety with daily smoking and nicotine dependence in young adulthood: findings from a 10-year longitudinal study

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 05-08-2010

DOI: 10.1111/J.1360-0443.2010.03002.X

Abstract: To examine the association of adolescent depression and anxiety symptoms with daily smoking and nicotine dependence in young adulthood. A prospective cohort study of adolescent and young adult health (n = 1943). Teen assessments occurred at 6-monthly intervals, with two follow-up assessments in young adulthood (wave 7, 1998 wave 8, 2001-03). Victoria, Australia. Participants Students who participated at least once during the first six (adolescent) waves of the cohort study. Adolescent depression and anxiety symptoms were assessed using the Revised Clinical Interview Schedule (CIS-R). Young adult tobacco use was defined as: daily use (6 or 7 days per week) and dependent use (> or =4 on the Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence). Among adolescent 'less than daily' smokers, those with high levels of depression and anxiety symptoms had an increased risk of reporting nicotine dependence in young adulthood [odds ratio (OR) 3.3, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.2-9.1] compared to young adults who had low levels of adolescent depression and anxiety symptoms, after adjusting for potential confounding factors. Similarly, in the adjusted model (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.0-3.4), among adolescent 'daily' smokers, those with high levels of depression and anxiety symptoms had an almost two-fold increase in the odds of reporting nicotine dependence in young adulthood compared to young adults with low levels of adolescent depression and anxiety symptoms. Adolescent smokers with depression and anxiety symptoms are at increased risk for nicotine dependence into young adulthood. They warrant vigilance from primary care providers in relation to tobacco use well into adulthood.

Pre-conception and perinatal predictors of offspring attachment disorganization: Advancing the replicated evidence.

Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)

Date: 17-04-2020

DOI: 10.1017/S095457941900172X

Abstract: Attachment disorganization in early childhood is an influential yet modifiable risk factor for later mental health problems. Beyond established transmission through parents’ unresolved attachment representations and caregiving sensitivity, little replicated evidence exists for wider determinants of offspring attachment disorganization. This study examined the replicated evidence for psychosocial risk factors in the preconception, prenatal, and postnatal periods. We identified all relevant longitudinal studies, and examined all risk relationships for which evidence existed in two or more cohorts (48 effects, 17 studies, N = 6,099). Study-specific and pooled risk associations were estimated and a range of moderators evaluated. Mothers’ low socioeconomic status (r = .28, k = 2), perinatal loss of a child (r = .26, k = 2), caregiving intrusiveness (r = .31, k = 2), and infant male sex (r = .26, k = 4) predicted offspring attachment disorganization. Maternal sensitivity (r = –.25, k = 6) and higher metacognition during pregnancy (r = –.23, k = 3) predicted lower risk of offspring attachment disorganization. Findings suggest the origins of offspring disorganized attachment include but extend beyond maternal unresolved attachment representations and caregiving. We discuss implications for theory and for identification of modifiable risk pathways in the perinatal window.

The effect of low parental warmth and low monitoring on disordered eating in mid-adolescence: Findings from the Australian Temperament Project

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 10-2016

DOI: 10.1016/J.APPET.2016.05.015

Abstract: To investigate the interactions between low parental warmth and monitoring at age 13-14 years and disordered eating attitudes and behaviours at age 15-16 years. Data on 1300 (667 females) adolescents and their parents were drawn from The Australian Temperament Project (ATP), a 30 year (15 wave) population based longitudinal study of social-emotional development. Parent participants completed surveys on parenting practices in late childhood, and adolescent participants reported disordered eating using the drive for thinness and bulimia subscales of the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI) and an additional body dissatisfaction scale. Interaction was examined on the additive scale by estimating super-additive risk i.e., risk in excess of the sum of in idual risks. For boys, neither parental warmth or monitoring, nor their interaction, was related to disordered eating. For girls, low parental warmth (alone) was associated with bulimic behaviours. In contrast, exposure to both low monitoring and warmth was associated with ∼3½-fold, ∼4-fold and ∼5-fold increases in the odds of reporting body dissatisfaction, drive for thinness and bulimia, respectively. For body dissatisfaction and drive for thinness, risk associated with joint exposure exceeded the sum of in idual risks, suggesting an additive interaction between parenting styles. Further investment in family-level interventions that focus on promoting parental monitoring behaviour and a warm parent-child relationship remain important strategies for preventing a range of disordered eating behaviours in adolescents.

Association between 5-HTTLPR genotypes and persisting patterns of anxiety and alcohol use: results from a 10-year longitudinal study of adolescent mental health

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 26-04-2005

DOI: 10.1038/SJ.MP.4001677

Abstract: The serotonin transporter gene (5-HTT) encodes a transmembrane protein that plays an important role in regulating serotonergic neurotransmission and related aspects of mood and behaviour. The short allele of a 44 bp insertion/deletion polymorphism (S-allele) within the promoter region of the 5-HTT gene (5-HTTLPR) confers lower transcriptional activity relative to the long allele (L-allele) and may act to modify the risk of serotonin-mediated outcomes such as anxiety and substance use behaviours. The purpose of this study was to determine whether (or not) 5-HTTLPR genotypes moderate known associations between attachment style and adolescent anxiety and alcohol use outcomes. Participants were drawn from an eight-wave study of the mental and behavioural health of a cohort of young Australians followed from 14 to 24 years of age (Victorian Adolescent Health Cohort Study, 1992 - present). No association was observed within low-risk attachment settings. However, within risk settings for heightened anxiety (ie, insecurely attached young people), the odds of persisting ruminative anxiety (worry) decreased with each additional copy of the S-allele (approximately 30% per allele: OR 0.77, 95% CI 0.62-0.97, P=0.029). Within risk settings for binge drinking (ie, securely attached young people), the odds of reporting persisting high-dose alcohol consumption (bingeing) decreased with each additional copy of the S-allele (approximately 35% per allele: OR 0.74, 95% CI 0.64-0.86, P<0.001). Our data suggest that the S-allele is likely to be important in psychosocial development, particularly in those settings that increase risk of anxiety and alcohol use problems.

Preconception weight management

Publisher: CSIRO Publishing

Date: 2017

DOI: 10.1071/PY16004

Abstract: The aim of this study was to identify barriers to providing preconception weight management. Twenty health professionals participated in a semistructured phone interview regarding their beliefs on perceived barriers to providing preconception weight management. The interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and examined using thematic analysis to extract the key themes. Two themes were identified from the interviews: (1) barriers hindering women from accessing preconception weight management interventions (i.e. women’s lack of awareness regarding the importance of preconception weight, and not being provided with weight management information or interventions by health professionals) and (2) barriers preventing health professionals from providing preconception weight management (i.e. an absence of implementation resources for preconception weight management, limited access to women of childbearing age who plan to conceive, and a high percentage of pregnancies being unplanned). There are significant client- and heath professional-based barriers to implementing preconception weight management. To begin to address these barriers, developing policy and preconception weight management programs based on evidence collected via a needs assessment, quantitative or mixed-method designs may be of benefit. Furthermore, these barriers are likely contributing to the paucity in research into preconception weight management services.

The Legacy of Mental Distress Following Physical Illness in Childhood: Findings From the Australian Temperament Project

Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)

Date: 30-08-2022

DOI: 10.1093/JPEPSY/JSAC064

Abstract: Childhood physical illnesses have been associated with heightened risk for mental health problems in adolescence and young adulthood however, little is known about the natural history of this relationship. Here, we examine the nature of mental health adjustment to illness from diagnosis in childhood into adolescence and young adult life. Data were drawn from a large population-based cohort. Parents reported whether their child had a physical illness at 5–6 and 7–8 years and whether they believed their child was so sick it was thought they might die. Depression and anxiety symptoms were reported by parents (for children 7–10 years) and self-reports (11–28 years). A total of 1,001 (56%) parents reported their child had a physical illness. Of these parents, 143 (8%) believed their child might die. Findings indicated there was some evidence of higher levels of depressive and anxious symptoms across late childhood and into early adolescence for those reporting a physical illness in childhood. A similar pattern was observed for those who were so sick it was thought they might die, although symptoms were elevated to a greater extent. Although physical illness in middle childhood is associated with higher levels of depressive and anxious symptoms, by early adolescence, these differences diminish, indicating a process of adaptation that persists into young adulthood. This suggests a potentially sensitive period of adjustment to illness for some, especially for children who it was feared might die. Additional psychosocial assessment and support may be warranted across the “acute” illness period.

Preconception personality disorder and antenatal maternal mental health: A population-based cohort study

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 02-2017

DOI: 10.1016/J.JAD.2016.11.022

Abstract: Prior anxiety and depression have been identified as risk factors for maternal perinatal mental health problems, but other preconception mental disorders have not been prospectively examined. This study investigated prospectively whether women with preconception personality disorder have increased rates of antenatal anxiety and/or depressive symptoms. 244 women in a population cohort were assessed for personality disorder at age 24 using the Standardised Assessment of Personality. Five to twelve years later, women were screened with the Clinical Interview Schedule, Revised Anxiety Subscale and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale during the third trimester of 328 pregnancies. Preconception personality disorder was associated with a three-fold increase in the odds of antenatal anxiety symptoms, which remained with adjustment for preconception background factors and preconception common mental disorder (adjusted OR 2.84, 95% CI 1.31-6.15). Preconception personality disorder was associated with doubled odds of antenatal depressive symptoms, however this was attenuated with adjustment for preconception background factors and preconception common mental disorder (adjusted OR 1.98, 95% CI 0.81-4.81). Our findings are restricted to pregnant women aged 29-35 years. Anxiety and depression may have been under-identified because they were assessed at a single antenatal time point. Residual confounding of the associations by preconception common mental disorder at other time points may have occurred. Women with personality disorder are at heightened risk of anxiety symptoms in pregnancy, over and above risks associated with prior common mental disorder. This raises a possibility that pregnancy brings particular emotional challenges for women with personality disorders.

Self-reported parenting style is associated with children's inflammation and immune activation

Publisher: American Psychological Association (APA)

Date: 04-2017

DOI: 10.1037/FAM0000254

Abstract: Family environments and parenting have been associated with inflammation and immune activation in children and adolescents however, it remains unclear which specific aspects of parenting drive this association. In this study, we cross-sectionally examined the association between 5 discrete parenting styles and inflammation and immune activation in late childhood. Data were drawn from 102 families (55 with female children, mean age 9.50 years, SD = 0.34) participating in the Imaging Brain Development in the Childhood to Adolescence Transition Study. Children provided saliva s les from which inflammation (C-reactive protein) and immune competence/activation (secretory immunoglobulin A) were measured. Parents completed the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire, which measures 5 aspects of parenting style-positive parental involvement, positive disciplinary techniques, consistency in disciplinary techniques, corporal punishment, and monitoring and supervision. Results showed that higher scores on the poor parental monitoring scale were associated with higher levels of both inflammation and immune activation in children. This study highlights parental monitoring and supervision as a specific aspect of parenting behavior that may be important for children's physical and mental health. (PsycINFO Database Record

Longitudinal Prediction of Mid-Adolescent Psychosocial Outcomes From Early Adolescent Family Help Seeking and Family Support

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 17-02-2015

DOI: 10.1111/JORA.12113

Subjective wellbeing in parents during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Australia

Publisher: Center for Open Science

Date: 27-10-2020

DOI: 10.31234/OSF.IO/8NVM3

Abstract: Objectives: To examine the subjective wellbeing of Australian parents raising children and adolescents (0-18 years) during ‘stage three’ COVID-19 restrictions (April 2020), in comparison with subjective wellbeing in parents assessed over an 18-year period prior to the pandemic. We also aimed to examine socio-demographic and COVID-19 predictors of subjective wellbeing during the pandemic.Methods: Cross-sectional data were from: (1) the COVID-19 Pandemic Adjustment Survey (CPAS, N=2,365 parents of a child 0-18 years, 8-28th April, 2020) and, (2) a pre-pandemic database bringing together over 18-years of national data on subjective wellbeing (N=17,529 adults living with children, collected in annual surveys over 2002-2019). Results: Levels of subjective wellbeing during the pandemic were considerably lower than ratings prior to the pandemic (Personal Wellbeing Index, mean [SD]=65.3 [17.0] compared to [SD]=75.8 [11.9], p& .001). Within the pandemic data, subjective wellbeing was lower in parents with low education, language other-than-English, receiving income assistance (i.e., a government benefit), single parents, and young parents. Subjective wellbeing was also lower in fathers, parents raising a child with a neurodevelopmental condition, parents with physical or mental health problems, and parents reporting COVID-related stressors, such as employment changes, financial strain, negative feelings/attributions about COVID-19, and supervising children while working-from-home. Unexpectedly, parent engagement with news media about the pandemic was associated with higher subjective wellbeing. Conclusion: Subjective wellbeing in parents raising children aged 0-18 years appears to be disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and associated social restrictions in Australia. Specific at-risk groups, for which government intervention may be warranted, include parents in socially disadvantaged contexts, parents with pre-existing mental health difficulties, and parents facing significant COVID-19 related work changes.

Association of adolescent and young adult depression and anxiety with perinatal mental health in fathers: Findings from an Australian longitudinal study

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 12-2022

DOI: 10.1016/J.JPSYCHIRES.2022.10.017

Abstract: The current study examined associations between preconception diagnoses of major depressive disorder (MDD) and anxiety disorders in adolescence and young adulthood and perinatal depression and anxiety symptoms in early fatherhood. In an Australian community cohort study of health and development, earlier history of MDD and anxiety disorders (extending back to adolescence) were assessed retrospectively in the third trimester of pregnancy via the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Paternal perinatal depression and anxiety were then assessed prospectively over three timepoints (third trimester of pregnancy, 8 weeks and 12 months postpartum), using established cut-points on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (anxiety subscale). Mixed-effects regression models examined risk associations between preconception diagnoses of MDD and anxiety disorders, and perinatal depression and anxiety symptoms at each timepoint, adjusting for socio-demographic factors and concurrent maternal mental health difficulties. The odds of clinically concerning levels of paternal perinatal depression and anxiety were 6-fold and 4-fold higher, respectively, in men with a preconception history of MDD. The odds of perinatal depression were 3-fold higher in men with a preconception history of an anxiety disorder. Less evidence was found for an association between preconception diagnoses of an anxiety disorder and perinatal anxiety in fathers. Interventions aimed at improving mental health in men during adolescence and young adulthood may promote continued psychological health in men during early fatherhood.

Subjective wellbeing in parents during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 06-2021

DOI: 10.1016/J.JPSYCHORES.2021.110482

Prospects for epigenetic research within cohort studies of psychological disorder: A pilot investigation of a peripheral cell marker of epigenetic risk for depression

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 02-2010

DOI: 10.1016/J.BIOPSYCHO.2009.12.003

Abstract: Cohort studies have considerable prima facie value for investigating epigenetic processes in psychological disorder however, the future prospects for such studies will depend on valid peripheral markers. The purpose of this pilot study was to investigate association between buccal cell methylation and risk for depression. Epigenotyping was limited to promoter methylation of the serotonin transporter gene (5HTT). A transcription limiting VNTR in the 5HTT promoter (5HTTLPR) was also genotyped. A nested s le of 25 depressed and 125 non-depressed adolescents was drawn from an established longitudinal study of adolescent health. There was no association between depressive symptoms and either buccal cell 5HTT methylation or 5HTTLPR. However, depressive symptoms were more common among those with elevated buccal cell 5HTT methylation who carried 5HTTLPR short-allele (OR 4.9, CI 1.9-13, p=0.001). Both complete and partial (as little as 10%) methylation of a 5HTT reporter gene in an expressing cell line reduced 5HTT activity. Replication is needed.

Study protocol for the COVID-19 Pandemic Adjustment Survey (CPAS): A longitudinal study of Australian parents of a child 0-18 years

Publisher: Center for Open Science

Date: 27-04-2020

DOI: 10.31234/OSF.IO/HQKE9

Abstract: Background: The COVID-19 pandemic presents significant risks to the mental health and wellbeing of Australian families. Employment and economic uncertainty, chronic stress, anxiety, and social isolation are likely to have negative impacts on parent mental health, couple and family relationships, as well as child health and development. Objective: This study aims to: (1) provide timely information on the mental health impacts of the emerging COVID-19 crisis in a close to representative s le of Australian parents and children (0-18 years) (2) identify adults and families most at risk of poor mental health outcomes and, (3) identify factors to target through clinical and public health intervention to reduce risk. Specifically, this study will investigate the extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic is associated with increased risk for parents’ mental health, lower wellbeing, loneliness, and alcohol use parent-parent and parent-child relationships (both verbal and physical) and child and adolescent mental health problems. Methods: The study aims to recruit a close to representative s le of at least 2,000 adults aged 18 years and over living in Australia who are parents of a child 0-4 years (early childhood, N=400) 5-12 years (primary school N=800) and 13-18 years (secondary school, N=800). The design will be a longitudinal cohort study using an online recruitment methodology. Participants will be invited to complete an online baseline self-report survey (20 minutes) followed by a series of shorter online surveys (10 minutes) scheduled every two weeks for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic (i.e., estimated to be 14 surveys over 6 months). Results: The study will employ post stratification weights to address differences between the final s le and the national population in geographic communities across Australia. Associations will be analyzed using multilevel modeling with time-variant and time-invariant predictors of change in trajectory over the testing period. Conclusions: This study will provide timely information on the mental health impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on parents and children in Australia identify communities, parents, families, and children most at risk of poor outcomes and, identify potential factors to address in clinical and public health interventions to reduce risk.

Adverse adult consequences of different alcohol use patterns in adolescence: an integrative analysis of data to age 30 years from four Australasian cohorts

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 19-06-2018

DOI: 10.1111/ADD.14263

Abstract: Studies have linked adolescent alcohol use with adverse consequences in adulthood, yet it is unclear how strong the associations are and to what extent they may be due to confounding. Our aim was to estimate the strength of association between different patterns of adolescent drinking and longer-term psychosocial harms taking into account in idual, family and peer factors. Participant-level data were integrated from four long-running longitudinal studies: Australian Temperament Project, Christchurch Health and Development Study, Mater Hospital and University of Queensland Study of Pregnancy and Victorian Adolescent Health Cohort Study. Australia and New Zealand. Participants were assessed on multiple occasions between ages 13 and 30 years (from 1991 to 2012). Number of participants varied (up to n = 9453) by analysis. Three patterns of alcohol use (frequent, heavy episodic and problem drinking) were assessed prior to age 17. Thirty outcomes were assessed to age 30 spanning substance use and related problems, antisocial behaviour, sexual risk-taking, accidents, socio-economic functioning, mental health and partner relationships. After covariate adjustment, weekly drinking prior to age 17 was associated with a two- to threefold increase in the odds of binge drinking [odds ratio (OR) = 2.14 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.57-2.90], drink driving (OR = 2.78 95% CI = 1.84-4.19), alcohol-related problems (OR = 3.04 95% CI = 1.90-4.84) and alcohol dependence (OR = 3.30 95% CI = 1.69-6.47) in adulthood. Frequency of drinking accounted for a greater proportion of the rate of most adverse outcomes than the other measures of alcohol use. Associations between frequent, heavy episodic and problem drinking in adolescence and most non-alcohol outcomes were largely explained by shared risk factors for adolescent alcohol use and poor psychosocial functioning. Frequency of adolescent drinking predicts substance use problems in adulthood as much as, and possibly more than, heavy episodic and problem drinking independent of in idual, family and peer predictors of those outcomes.

The lifetime experience of traumatic events is associated with hair cortisol concentrations in community-based children

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Date: 2016

DOI: 10.1016/J.PSYNEUEN.2015.10.004

Abstract: Adversity early in life can disrupt the functioning of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPAA) and increase risk for negative health outcomes. Recent research suggests that cortisol in scalp hair represents a promising measure of HPAA function. However, little is known about the relationship between early exposure to traumatic events and hair cortisol concentrations (HCC) in childhood, a critical period of HPAA development. The current study measured HCC in scalp hair s les collected from 70 community-based children (14 males, mean age=9.50) participating in the Imaging Brain Development in the Childhood to Adolescence Transition Study (iCATS). Data were also collected on lifetime exposure to traumatic events and current depressive symptoms. Lifetime exposure to trauma was associated with elevated HCC however, HCC was not associated with current depressive symptoms. Consistent with some prior work, males were found to have higher HCC than females, although results should be treated with caution due to the small number of males who took part. Our findings suggest that hair cortisol may represent a biomarker of exposure to trauma in this age group however, further study is necessary with a particular focus on the characterization of trauma and other forms of adversity.

Inequalities in the distribution of COVID‐19‐related financial difficulties for Australian families with young children

Publisher: Wiley

Date: 13-04-2022

DOI: 10.1111/CCH.13010

Abstract: We examine (1) the frequency of financial difficulties in Australian families with young children (0–8 years) in the early and later phases of the pandemic (2) the extent to which parents' pre‐pandemic socio‐economic disadvantage (SED) predicted financial difficulties and (3) whether grandparent intergenerational SED further lified this risk. Data : Australian Temperament Project (ATP established 1983, N = 2443) and ATP Generation 3 study (ATPG3 established 2012 N = 702), of which 74% ( N = 553) completed a COVID‐specific module in the early (May–September 2020) and/or later (October–December 2021) phases of the pandemic. Outcomes : Parent‐reported loss of employment/reduced income, difficulty paying for essentials, and financial strain. Exposures : Pre‐pandemic parent and grandparent education and occupation. Analysis : Logistic regressions, estimated via generalized estimating equations, were used to examine associations between the pre‐pandemic SED of parents and grandparents and their interaction with financial difficulties, adjusting for potential confounders. At both pandemic time points, a third of parents reported adverse financial impacts (early: 34%, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 30–38 later: 32%, 95% CI = 28–36). Each standard deviation increase in the parents' pre‐pandemic SED was associated with a 36% increase in the odds of reporting multiple financial difficulties (odds ratio [OR] = 1.36, 95% CI = 1.04–1.78). There was little evidence of an interaction between the SED of parents and grandparents. Financial impacts related to the COVID‐19 pandemic were common and, irrespective of grandparent SED, disproportionately borne by parents with higher pre‐pandemic SED. Given the well‐established relationship between disadvantage and child health and development, sustained and well‐targeted government supports will be critical to minimizing adverse impacts in years to come.

Preconception prediction of expectant fathers' mental health: 20-year cohort study from adolescence

Publisher: Royal College of Psychiatrists

Date: 03-2018

DOI: 10.1192/BJO.2017.10

Abstract: We examined prospective associations between men's common mental disorders in the decades prior to offspring conception and subsequent paternal antenatal mental health problems. Data came from a prospective intergenerational cohort study which assessed common mental disorder nine times from age 14 to 29 years, and in the third trimester of subsequent pregnancies to age 35 years ( N = 295 pregnancies to 214 men). Men with histories of adolescent and young adult common mental disorders were over four times more likely to experience antenatal mental health problems. Future research identifying modifiable perinatal factors that counteract preconception risk would provide further targets for intervention. None.

Care Orientation in the Teens as a Predictor of Young Adult Psychosocial Adjustment

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 20-11-2016

DOI: 10.1007/S10902-015-9685-X

Preventing postnatal depression: a causal mediation analysis of a 20-year preconception cohort

Publisher: The Royal Society

Date: 03-05-2021

DOI: 10.1098/RSTB.2020.0028

Abstract: Postnatal depression (PND) is common and predicts a range of adverse maternal and offspring outcomes. PND rates are highest among women with persistent mental health problems before pregnancy, and antenatal healthcare provides ideal opportunity to intervene. We examined antenatal perceived social support as a potential intervention target in preventing PND symptoms among women with prior mental health problems. A total of 398 Australian women (600 pregnancies) were assessed repeatedly for mental health problems before pregnancy (ages 14–29 years, 1992–2006), and again during pregnancy, two months postpartum and one year postpartum (2006–2014). Causal mediation analysis found that intervention on perceived antenatal social support has the potential to reduce rates of PND symptoms by up to 3% (from 15 to 12%) in women with persistent preconception symptoms. Supplementary analyses found that the role of low antenatal social support was independent of concurrent antenatal depressive symptoms. Combined, these two factors mediated up to more than half of the association between preconception mental health problems and PND symptoms. Trialling dual interventions on antenatal depressive symptoms and perceived social support represents one promising strategy to prevent PND in women with persistent preconception symptoms. Interventions promoting mental health before pregnancy may yield an even greater reduction in PND symptoms by disrupting a developmental cascade of risks via these and other pathways. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Multidisciplinary perspectives on social support and maternal–child health’.

Collaborative meta-Analysis finds no evidence of a strong interaction between stress and 5-HTTLPR genotype contributing to the development of depression

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 04-04-2018

DOI: 10.1038/MP.2017.44

Perinatal maternal alcohol consumption and methylation of the dopamine receptor DRD4 in the offspring: the Triple B study

Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)

Date: 12-2016

DOI: 10.1093/EEP/DVW023

Preconception depression and anxiety symptoms and maternal-infant bonding: a 20-year intergenerational cohort study

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Date: 27-10-2020

DOI: 10.1007/S00737-020-01081-5

University Of Melbourne

Location: Australia

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Murdoch Childrens Research Institute

Location: Australia

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Deakin University

Location: Australia

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Breaking The Intergenerational Cycle Of Mental Disorder: A Longitudinal Study Of The Social Determinants Of Childhood Psychosocial Adjustment Problems.

Start Date: 2018

End Date: 2020

Funder: Australian Rotary Health

The Impact Of Outdoor Programs On Positive Adolescent Development: An Empirical Evaluation.

Start Date: 2013

End Date: 2016

Funder: Australian Research Council

Development And Trial Implementation Of A Comprehensive Intergenerational Mental Health Monitoring System

Start Date: 2020

End Date: 2024

Funder: National Health and Medical Research Council

Adolescence And The Mental Health Of The Next Generation: A Prospective Intergenerational Cohort Study Targeting Prevention Prior To Pregnancy And In The Perinatal Period

Start Date: 2019

End Date: 2022

Funder: National Health and Medical Research Council

The Maternal Child Health Nurse Early Relational Trauma Informed Learning Platform

Start Date: 2018

End Date: 2019

Funder: Department of Education and Training

Trial Of Toddler Development Instrument For Monitoring Children's Early Experiences In Family And Community Environments

Start Date: 2018

End Date: 2019

Funder: Ian Potter Foundation

The Intergenerational Origins Of Social And Emotional Wellbeing.

Start Date: 2018

End Date: 2020

Funder: Australian Research Council

Preconception Determinants Of Child Health And Development: A 4-year Follow Up Of Offspring Born To The Australian Temperament Project.

Start Date: 2015

End Date: 2019

Funder: National Health and Medical Research Council

Breaking The Intergenerational Cycle Of Mental Disorder: A Longitudinal Study Of The Social Determinants Of Childhood Psychosocial Adjustment Problems

Start Date: 2020

End Date: 2020

Funder: Australian Rotary Health

Early Life Course Population Mental Health Monitoring System

Start Date: 2021

End Date: 2022

Funder: National Health and Medical Research Council

(Preconception Predictors Of Early Childhood Social And Emotional Development: A 30-year Longitudinal Study Of Grandparents, Parents And Children)

Start Date: 2013

End Date: 2015

Funder: Australian Research Council

Intergenerational Prediction Of Social And Early Emotional Development

Start Date: 2016

End Date: 2018

Funder: Australian Research Council

Intergenerational Determinants Of Child Development On School Entry

Start Date: 2020

End Date: 2022

Funder: Australian Research Council

Linkage Projects - Grant ID: LP130100314

Start Date: 12-2013

End Date: 12-2017

Amount: $450,000.00

Funder: Australian Research Council

Discovery Projects - Grant ID: DP160103160

Start Date: 06-2016

End Date: 06-2020

Amount: $453,000.00

Funder: Australian Research Council

Discovery Projects - Grant ID: DP120101402

Start Date: 2012

End Date: 12-2014

Amount: $280,000.00

Funder: Australian Research Council

Discovery Projects - Grant ID: DP0987573

Start Date: 2009

End Date: 12-2011

Amount: $390,000.00

Funder: Australian Research Council

Discovery Projects - Grant ID: DP180102447

Start Date: 07-2018

End Date: 12-2021

Amount: $382,290.00

Funder: Australian Research Council

Discovery Projects - Grant ID: DP200100571

Start Date: 06-2020

End Date: 12-2024

Amount: $469,871.00

Funder: Australian Research Council

Linkage Projects - Grant ID: LP210100181

Start Date: 10-2022

End Date: 10-2026

Amount: $792,672.00

Funder: Australian Research Council

Discovery Projects - Grant ID: DP130101459

Start Date: 06-2013

End Date: 12-2017

Amount: $961,888.00

Funder: Australian Research Council