More than a snapshot in time: pathways of disadvantage over childhood

Goldfeld, Sharon; O’Connor, Meredith; O’Connor, Elodie; Chong, Shiau Yun; Badland, Hannah; Woolfenden, Susan; Redmond, Gerry; Williams, Katrina; Azpitarte, Francisco; Cloney, Dan; Mensah, Fiona

doi:10.1093/ije/dyy086

Cited by 15 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…This pattern may be explained by an accumulation of persistent and recurring mental health symptoms over time, as well as changing support and family circumstances. While the current study examined adversity only once during pregnancy, families will experience varied patterns of adversity and emerging adversity risks over the postpartum years (Goldfeld et al 2018b ). These changing circumstances, such as relationship transitions, family violence, or loss of income, may contribute to increases in maternal mental health symptoms, as has been identified in previous studies (Woolhouse et al 2015 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Patterns of maternal depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms from pregnancy to 5 years postpartum in an Australian cohort experiencing adversity

Bryson

Perlen

Price

et al. 2021

Arch Womens Ment Health

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The objective of this study is to describe the longitudinal patterns of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms from pregnancy to 5 years postpartum, in a cohort of Australian mothers experiencing adversity. Longitudinal data were drawn from the control group of a trial of nurse home visiting. Pregnant women experiencing adversity (≥ 2 of 10 adversity risk factors) were recruited from antenatal clinics across 2 Australian states (30 April 2013-29 August 2014. Women completed the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scales short-form (DASS-21) at 11 time-points from pregnancy to 5 years postpartum. DASS-21 scores were summarized at each time-point for all women and by level of adversity risk. Three hundred fifty-nine women (100%) completed the DASS-21 in pregnancy and 343 (96%) provided subsequent data. Mental health symptoms were highest in pregnancy and at 4 and 5 years postpartum. While this pattern was comparable across levels of antenatal adversity risk, women with greatest adversity risk had consistently higher mental health symptoms. In a cohort of mothers experiencing adversity, depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms were highest in pregnancy and at 4 to 5 years postpartum. The striking patterns of persistent, high, mental health symptoms, beyond the first year postpartum, can inform a more equitable and responsive health system.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Patterns of maternal depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms from pregnancy to 5 years postpartum in an Australian cohort experiencing adversity

Bryson

Perlen

Price

et al. 2021

Arch Womens Ment Health

Self Cite

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“…In measuring social adversity, we examined indicators at one time point only (baseline) because factors such as parent education and occupation tend to remain stable over time. 40 However, families’ circumstances can change, and the investigation of temporal patterns of exposure would be valuable. Furthermore, we examined adversity according to parent education, occupation and young maternal age.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Natural history of mental health competence from childhood to adolescence

O’Connor

Arnup

Mensah

et al. 2021

J Epidemiol Community Health

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BackgroundMental 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.MethodsData: 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.ResultsThe 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 diverge from this normative MHC progression. For example, 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.ConclusionsApproaches 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.

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“…The infant brain is very responsive to environmental changes. Many factors, such as early-life adverse events, pubertal and maternal stress (52)(53)(54), toxins (55)(56)(57), nutrition (58)(59)(60), geographic environment (61,62), and epigenetic factors (63,64), can have adverse consequences on neurodevelopment. Indeed, there is increasing evidence that most neurological and psychiatric disorders have a developmental origin that is the result of prenatal and early postnatal disturbances in this complex process (65)(66)(67)(68)(69).…”

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confidence: 99%

How early media exposure may affect cognitive function: A review of results from observations in humans and experiments in mice

Christakis

Ramirez

Ferguson

et al. 2018

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is now among the most commonly diagnosed chronic psychological dysfunctions of childhood. By varying estimates, it has increased by 30% in the past 20 years. Environmental factors that might explain this increase have been explored. One such factor may be audiovisual media exposure during early childhood. Observational studies in humans have linked exposure to fast-paced television in the first 3 years of life with subsequent attentional deficits in later childhood. Although longitudinal and well controlled, the observational nature of these studies precludes definitive conclusions regarding a causal relationship. As experimental studies in humans are neither ethical nor practical, mouse models of excessive sensory stimulation (ESS) during childhood, akin to the enrichment studies that have previously shown benefits of stimulation in rodents, have been developed. Experimental studies using this model have corroborated that ESS leads to cognitive and behavioral deficits, some of which may be potentially detrimental. Given the ubiquity of media during childhood, these findings in humansand rodents perhaps have important implications for public health.

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More than a snapshot in time: pathways of disadvantage over childhood

Cited by 15 publications

References 37 publications

Patterns of maternal depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms from pregnancy to 5 years postpartum in an Australian cohort experiencing adversity

Patterns of maternal depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms from pregnancy to 5 years postpartum in an Australian cohort experiencing adversity

Natural history of mental health competence from childhood to adolescence

How early media exposure may affect cognitive function: A review of results from observations in humans and experiments in mice

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