Prospective associations between fine particulate matter exposure, neighborhood deprivation, and internalizing behaviors in adolescents from the ABCD Study

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Adolescence presents an understudied critical window of vulnerability to environmental exposures. Neighborhood deprivation and PM2.5 exposure individually adversely affect neurobehavior, yet joint effects are understudied. We examine interactions between neighborhood deprivation and PM2.5 during late childhood on internalizing behaviors in early adolescence. METHODS: The Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study is a large (N = 11,875), well-characterized and diverse sample of 9-10-year-old children recruited across 21 sites in the United States. Based on the geocoded residential address at enrollment, Neighborhood Area Deprivation Index (NADI) was calculated using a validated 18-item scale, and annual average PM2.5 exposure (1-km2 resolution) was derived using spatiotemporal models. Internalizing behaviors (e.g., depression and anxiety) were measured at baseline and 1-year follow-up using the parent-reported child behavior checklist (CBCL). We used linear mixed effects models to study interactions between baseline NADI and PM2.5 and internalizing behaviors measured 1 year later. We adjusted for child sociodemographic characteristics, pubertal status, family history of depression, and baseline internalizing behaviors. We assessed the associations among all subjects and by sex. RESULTS:Among the 9,315 (48% female; 52% White, 20% Hispanic, 15% Black, 2% Asian, and 11% other race) subjects with complete data, mean baseline PM2.5 was 7.53 (SD=2.57) micrograms per cubic meter, NADI was 92.73 (SD=24.82), and internalizing behavior T-scores were 48.45 (SD=10.64) at baseline and 48.58 (SD=10.61) at 1-year follow-up. Among all subjects, we observed a significant positive interaction between baseline PM2.5 and NADI with internalizing behaviors at 1-year follow-up (p=0.013). Sex-stratified models suggest this positive interaction was only significant for girls. CONCLUSIONS:Adverse effects of PM2.5 exposure on anxiety and depressive symptoms were only observed among adolescents living in deprived neighborhoods with higher air pollution. Public health efforts to reduce air pollution in deprived neighborhoods has the potential to reduce the burden of environmentally-associated mental health problems. KEYWORDS: Particulate matter, Children’s environmental health, Socio-economic factors, Neurodevelopmental outcomes