Parent-reported Child Behavior Research Articles

354 Unitary neural correlates of executive control in pediatric transdiagnostic psychopathology

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Childhood psychiatric symptoms are highly comorbid. Their co-occurrence and association with negative life outcomes is partially explained by deficits in executive control, or processes enabling self-regulation. Here, we test a novel executive neural target in three fMRI tasks and its relevance to shared psychopathology. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: We studied 60 children [15 F/45 M; mean age (SD)=11.6 years (1.62)] with diverse diagnoses including attention deficit disorder (n=26) and autism spectrum disorder (n=22). We extracted a latent general factor of psychopathology using principal component analyses applied to parent-report Child Behavior Checklist syndrome scores. Subjects completed 3 executive control fMRI probes, tapping adaptive control, working memory, and inhibition. Correlational psychophysiological interaction (cPPI) analysis measured correlations between executive control-related modulations of activity in 414 network-affiliated parcels. We selected parcels exhibiting control-related cross-network correlations as well as control-related activity across all tasks and tested them for association with psychopathology. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: cPPI connectivity matrices were thresholded and graphs were identified using the Network-Based Statistic toolbox (p90th percentile PC) as well as control-related activation (>10% activated voxels; p DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Our results examine cross-network interactions between brain regions during 3 fMRI tasks and their role in explaining individual variation in psychopathology. As executive control links to both comorbidity and life outcomes, identifying the clinically-relevant neural correlates of controlled behavior may lead to transdiagnostic treatments.

The longitudinal relationship between dissociative symptoms and self-harm in adolescents: a population-based cohort study.

Previous studies have reported that dissociative symptoms (DIS) are associated with self-harm (SH) in adolescents. However, most of these studies were cross-sectional, which limits the understanding of their theoretical relationship. We aimed to investigate the longitudinal relationship between DIS and SH in the general adolescent population. We used data from the Tokyo Teen Cohort study (N = 3007). DIS and SH were assessed at times 1 and 2 (T1 and T2) (12years of age and 14years of age, respectively). DIS were assessed using the parent-report Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), and severe dissociative symptoms (SDIS) were defined as a score above the top 10th percentile. The experience of SH within 1year was assessed by a self-report questionnaire. The longitudinal relationship between DIS and SH was examined using regression analyses. Using logistic regression analyses, we further investigated the risk for SH at T2 due to persistent SDIS and vice versa. DIS at T1 tended to predict SH at T2 (odds ratio (OR) 1.11, 95% CI 0.99 to 1.25, p = 0.08), while SH at T1 did not predict DIS at T2 (B = -0.03, 95% CI -0.26 to 0.20, p = 0.81). Compared with adolescents without SDIS, those with persistent SDIS had an increased risk of SH at T2 (OR 2.61, 95% CI 1.28 to 5.33, p = 0.01). DIS tended to predict future SH, but SH did not predict future DIS. DIS may be a target to prevent SH in adolescents. Intensive attention should be given to adolescents with SDIS due to their increased risk of SH.

Appetite hormone dysregulation, body mass index, and emotional dysregulation in nonobese adolescents with first-episode schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder: a cross-sectional association study.

Evidence has suggested that emotional dysregulation is a transdiagnostic feature in schizophrenia and major affective disorders. However, the relationship between emotional dysregulation and appetite hormone disturbance remains unknown in nonobese adolescents with first-episode schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder. In total, 22 adolescents with schizophrenia; 31 with bipolar disorder; 33 with major depressive disorder; and 41 healthy age-, sex-, and body mass index (BMI)/BMI percentile-matched controls were enrolled for assessing levels of appetite hormones, namely leptin, ghrelin, insulin, and adiponectin. Emotional regulation symptoms were measured using the parent-reported Child Behavior Checklist-Dysregulation Profile. Adolescents with first-episode schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder exhibited greater emotional dysregulation symptoms than the control group (P=.037). Adolescents with bipolar disorder demonstrated higher log-transformed levels of insulin (P=.029) and lower log-transformed levels of leptin (P=.018) compared with the control group. BMI (P<.05) and log-transformed ghrelin levels (P=.028) were positively correlated with emotional dysregulation symptoms. Emotional dysregulation and appetite hormone disturbance may occur in the early stage of severe mental disorders. Further studies are required to clarify the unidirectional or bidirectional association of emotional dysregulation with BMI/BMI percentile and appetite hormones among patients with severe mental disorder.

Polygenic risk scores and brain structures both contribute to externalizing behavior in childhood - A study in the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development (ABCD) cohort

IntroductionExternalizing behaviors are defined as behaviors violating social norms and can be harmful to self and others. Predicting the escalation of externalizing behaviors in children would allow for early interventions to prevent the occurrence of antisocial and criminal acts. Externalizing behaviors are heritable traits, and have been associated with structures of the brain. Brain structure, in turn, is also influenced by genetics. Here, we investigated the association of genetic and brain structural variation with externalizing behaviors in late childhood, and we assessed potential mediating effects. MethodsData was collected for 11,878 children aged 9–10 years old from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) cohort. We extracted data on externalizing behaviors measured by the parent-reported Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), brain volumes and white matter integrity measured by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and polygenic risk scores (PRS) for (i) antisocial behaviors, (ii) attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder comorbid with disruptive behavior disorder (ADHD ​+ ​DBD), (iii) irritability, and (iv) traits related to self-regulation & addiction. We examined the associations between brain structures, PRS, and externalizing behavior, and to what extent brain structures mediate the association between PRS and externalizing behavior. Phenotypic associations between brain structures and externalizing behaviors were validated in an independent cohort of 150 adolescents aged 12–21 years enriched for individuals with antisocial behavior. ResultsIncreasing levels of externalizing behaviors were associated with reduced total brain and focal gray matter volumes, but not with white matter integrity. These results could not be validated in the independent cohort, except for a good correlation of several effect sizes between the cohorts. Higher PRS for externalizing behaviors were associated with lower cortical gray matter volume, larger subcortical gray matter volume, larger white matter volume, and reduced global white matter fractional anisotropy. Genetic and brain structural variation, combined with sociodemographic factors, explained up to 7% of variation in externalizing behaviors in late childhood; brain structures and PRS each explained up to ∼0.5% of variation. A multivariate model with all sociodemographic factors, brain structures and PRS combined explained up to 11.9% (+5%). Total cortical gray matter volume mediated the association between PRS for ADHD ​+ ​DBD and externalizing behavior in late childhood. However, a large proportion of individual variation in externalizing behavior remained unidentified (∼90%). Brain function and interaction effects with the environment are surmised as potential sources of additional variation.

A Randomized Controlled Trial of an Emotion Socialization Intervention in Norwegian Kindergartens

ABSTRACT Research Findings: Early childhood workers (ECW’s) play a pivotal role in shaping children’s emotional competence. This study examined the efficacy of Tuning in to Kids for Kindergarten Teachers (TIK-KT) used with CLASS observations to improve ECW’s emotion socialization, kindergarten emotional climate and children’s functioning. Five hundred and forty-eight ECW’s and leaders from 49 Norwegian kindergartens (children 1–5?years) were cluster randomized into intervention or control. Senior employees from intervention kindergartens received a two-day TIK-KT training, ECW’s participated in a one-day training to learn emotion socialization skills and then ECW’s received supervision to use emotion coaching with the children. Baseline and 10-month follow-up measures included questionnaires with ECW’s and parents, and observations of kindergartens. Compared to controls, intervention ECW’s reported a significant decrease in emotion dismissing and distraction, and a significant increase in emotion coaching. Intervention but not control kindergartens were observed to have significantly increased positive climate, teacher sensitivity, regard for student/child perspective, and behavior guidance. There was no change in parent reported child behavior; however, floor effects at baseline and a short follow-up during the COVID pandemic may have made change difficult to detect. Practice or Policy: These findings provide preliminary support for use of TIK-KT as a universal intervention. Trial Registration Clinical Trials Registry No. NCT03985124

Adherence to 24-Hour Movement Recommendations and Health Indicators in Early Adolescence: Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Associations in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study

PurposeAdherence to 24-hour movement guidelines of ≥60 minutes of physical activity, ≤2 hours of screen time, and 9–11 hours of sleep has been shown to benefit cognitive, physical, and psychosocial health in children and young adolescents aged 5–13 years. However, these findings have mostly been based on cross-sectional studies or relatively small samples and the associations between adherence to guidelines and brain structure remain to be evaluated. MethodsData from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development℠ (ABCD) study of 10,574 early adolescents aged 9–14 years from September 2016 to January 2021 were used to examine whether adherence to 24-hour movement guidelines benefits cognition (general cognitive ability, executive function, and learning/memory assessed by the National Institutes of Health Toolbox neurocognitive battery), body mass index, psychosocial health (internalizing, externalizing, and total problems from the parent-reported Child Behavior Checklist), and magnetic resonance imaging–derived brain morphometric measures at baseline (T1), ∼2 years later (T2), and longitudinally from T1 to T2 (T2-T1). Multivariable linear mixed models were used, with adjustments for sociodemographic confounders. Time elapsed and T1 outcome measures were also controlled for in longitudinal models. ResultsBetter cognitive scores, fewer behavioral problems, lower adiposity levels, and greater gray matter volumes were observed in those who met both sleep and screen time recommendations compared to those who met none. Longitudinal follow-up further supports these findings; participants who met both recommendations at T1 and T2 evidenced better outcome measures than those who met none. DiscussionThese findings support consideration of integrated rather than isolated movement recommendations across the day in early adolescence for better cognitive, physical and psychosocial health. Although the associations between physical activity and health indicators were less consistent in this study, the significant findings from sleep and screen time demonstrate the importance of considering movement recommendations in an integrated rather than isolated manner for adolescent health. It is recommended that movement behaviors be simultaneously targeted for better developmental outcomes.

Mindfulness and Imagery Enhanced Behavioral Parenting: Effectiveness Pilot of the Confident Carers Cooperative Kids Program.

Mindfulness is increasingly offered to parents of children presenting with behavioral problems, either as a stand-alone intervention, or integrated within existing behavioral parenting interventions. There is relatively modest support for mindful parenting, with small to medium effect size improvements demonstrated across child and parent outcome measures. Here we introduce a mindfulness and imagery enhanced behavioral parenting program. We argue blending mindfulness, imagery and behavioral skills could produce improved parenting engagement and perseverance, leading to stronger outcomes. Pilot data is presented from two contrasting real world clinical settings. Parents attending the 8-week Confident Carers Cooperative Kids (CCCK) group program in a university clinic setting were invited to be included in the study (n = 20). Permission was also gained to use archival data from a community organisation offering CCCK groups to parents who were at risk of child welfare involvement (n = 14). Pre- and post-intervention measures were completed across both groups on parent-reported child behavior, parent wellbeing, adaptive parenting, and mindful parenting. Parents from both groups achieved significant pre- to post-intervention improvements in child behavior problems, parent wellbeing, adaptive parenting, and mindful parenting, with large effect sizes. Larger improvements in child behavior problems were reported by parents from the community group compared with the university group. The CCCK intervention appears beneficial across child and parent outcomes, including for families most in need. A larger sample is required to replicate and extend these promising findings.

Implementation and Mental Health Outcomes of a Service Cascade Linking Child Welfare and Children’s Mental Health Systems: A Case Study of the Gateway CALL Demonstration

The mental health needs of children and youth involved in the child welfare system remain largely unmet. Service cascades are an emerging approach to systematizing mental health screening, assessment, and treatment referral processes. However, evidence is minimal and inconsistent regarding the effectiveness of such approaches for improving mental health service access and outcomes. In an effort to address this gap, this study presents a case-study of the implementation fidelity and treatment outcomes of the Gateway CALL service cascade. Study analyses involved longitudinal data collected as part of a larger evaluation of Gateway CALL. Specifically, descriptive and linear mixed model analyses were conducted to assess the implementation of service cascade components, and changes in mental health outcomes (behavior problems) among 175 children placed out-of-home during the study. Study analyses found that although fidelity was strong early in the service cascade, implementation began to break down once components involved more than one service system (child welfare, mental health). However, results also indicated that parent-reported child behavior problems decreased significantly over time, despite later cascade components being implemented with poor fidelity to the Gateway CALL service model. For children and youth involved in child welfare systems, service cascades like Gateway CALL have the potential to significantly improve both mental health service receipt and outcomes. To maximize the effectiveness of such approaches, later phases of implementation may require increased attention and support, particularly regarding processes and outcomes that cross child welfare and mental health service systems.

Mild Traumatic Brain Injury and Behavior and Sleep Among 9- and 10-Year Old Children: Initial Findings From the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study.

There has been concern about the potential sequelae of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) in children. This study used data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive DevelopmentSM (ABCD) study to investigate associations between mTBI and behavior and sleep in school-aged children. Generalized additive mixed models were run to examine the association between TBI and parent-reported Child Behavior Checklist and Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children scores. mTBI with or without loss of consciousness (LOC) in 9- and 10-year old children was associated with 1) higher internalizing, externalizing and total problems and 2) greater sleep disturbance scores on the CBCL. The study also demonstrated a higher incidence of mTBI with and without LOC in boys compared to girls. This study shows a statistically significant but modest association between mTBI and behavioral and sleep changes, suggesting that in a non-clinical, sociodemographically diverse community sample of school-aged children mTBI does not result in clinically significant behavioral or psychological sequelae.

Patterns of adverse childhood experiences among Chinese preschool parents and the intergenerational transmission of risk to offspring behavioural problems: moderating by coparenting quality

ABSTRACT Background: Although intergenerational transmission of ACEs among parents and their offspring have been extensively studied in the West, few studies have been conducted in China on preschool children and their parents, and explore the protective fact for the intergeneration transmission. Objective: Using latent class analysis and moderation model, this study examined the associations between patterns of adverse childhood experiences of Chinese preschool parents and behavioural problems in their children and whether coparenting quality plays a protective role in this relationship. Method: A retrospective study was conducted on 3091 parent–child dyads from 11 kindergartens in the northern, central, and southern Anhui provinces in China. Online questionnaires were used to collect the data. Parents reported adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and provided information on their children's behavioural problems and perceived coparenting quality. Latent class analysis and a moderating model were used to examine the associations between patterns of adverse childhood experiences of Chinese preschool parents and behavioural problems in their children, and the moderating role of coparenting quality. Results: Four classes were identified: a high ACEs group, a violent victimisation group, a child abuse and physical neglect group, and a low ACEs group. Increasing levels of co-parenting quality were associated with reduced parent-reported child behaviour problems for all classes, and that potentially buffering effect was significantly stronger for the low ACEs class than for children whose parents in high ACEs class. Conclusions: Exposure to high ACEs increases the risk of developing behavioural problems in offspring, and coparenting quality may serve as a protective mechanism for intergenerational transmission. Future research should develop and implement interventions to support disadvantaged, at-risk parents and promote coparenting quality.

Parent Training for Dental Care in Underserved Children With Autism: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have difficulty participating in dental care and experience significant unmet dental needs. We examined the efficacy of parent training (PT) for improving oral hygiene and oral health in underserved children with ASD. Families of Medicaid-eligible children with ASD (ages 3-13 years, 85% boys, 62% with intellectual disability) reporting difficulty with dental care participated in a 6-month randomized controlled trial comparing PT (n = 60) with a psychoeducational dental toolkit (n = 59). Primary outcomes were parent-reported frequency of twice-daily toothbrushing and dentist-rated visible plaque. Secondary outcomes included parent-reported child behavior problems during home oral hygiene and dentist-rated caries. Dentists were blind to intervention assignment. Analyses were intention to treat. Retention was high at posttreatment (3 months, 93%) and 6-month follow-up (90%). Compared with the toolkit intervention, PT was associated with increased twice-daily toothbrushing at 3 (78% vs 55%, respectively; P < .001) and 6 (78% vs 62%; P = .002) months and a reduction in plaque at 3 months (intervention effect, -0.19; 95% confidence interval [CI], -0.36 to -0.02; P = .03) and child problem behaviors at 3 (-0.90; 95% CI, -1.52 to -0.28; P = .005) and 6 (-0.77; 95% CI, -1.39 to -0.14; P = .02) months. Comparatively fewer caries developed in children receiving the PT intervention over 3 months (ratio of rate ratios, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.54 to 0.99; P = .04). PT represents a promising approach for improving oral hygiene and oral health in underserved children with ASD at risk for dental problems.

Temperament in Infancy Predicts Internalizing and Externalizing Problem Behavior at Age 5 in Children With an Increased Likelihood of Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Differences in temperament have been linked to later mental health. Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have an increased likelihood of experiencing such problems, including anxiety, depression, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and oppositional defiant disorder; yet, relations between early temperament and later mental health are not well understood. In this paper, we assess the relationship between temperament in infancy and internalizing and externalizing behavior at age 5, in 178 children at an increased likelihood of being diagnosed with ASD (i.e., younger siblings of children with ASD). Temperament was assessed using the parent-reported Infant Behavior Questionnaire (IBQ) at 6 and 12 months of age and the Toddler Behavior Assessment Questionnaire-Revised (TBAQ-R) at 24 months of age. Mental health problems were assessed using the parent-reported Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) at age 5. The data were analyzed using hierarchical multiple regressions, with individual temperament subscale scores as single predictor variables (Subscale Score) or temperament profiles using confirmatory factor analyses (Person-Centered Profile) in the first block, Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule total severity scores at age 3 in the second block, and expressive and receptive language scores (from Mullen Scales of Early Learning) at age 3 in the third block for each model. Three main findings were: (1) 4 of 6 IBQ subscales at both 6 and 12 months significantly predicted internalizing and externalizing problems at age 5; (2) 9 and 8 of 13 TBAQ-R subscales at 24 months significantly predicted internalizing and externalizing problems, respectively, at age 5; and (3) a “sticky attention” temperament profile significantly predicted internalizing problems, whereas a “low-focused” profile significantly predicted externalizing problems, both at age 5. The results of this study support the supposition that temperament is a trans-diagnostic risk factor for later mental health conditions. Exploring temperament profiles and trajectories may illuminate early avenues for prevention in siblings of children with ASD who are at an increased likelihood of experiencing mental health problems, regardless of ASD diagnostic status.

Offspring irritability: associations with parental psychopathology and personality.

Although there are well-established correlates and outcomes of irritability, there are fewer studies reporting on predictors of the longitudinal course of irritability in youth. The current report examined parent internalizing and externalizing psychopathology and dimensions of personality as predictors of the developmental course of irritability in youth. Offspring irritability was assessed between ages 2 and 10years using the Irritability Factor from the parent-reported Child Behavior Checklist (N = 570, 53.51% female). Parental psychopathology was assessed with a clinical interview; parents also completed the General Temperament Survey as a measure of personality. Results demonstrated that offspring irritability decreased with age. Offspring irritability was associated with parental depressive and anxiety disorders, higher levels of negative emotionality/neuroticism (NE) and disinhibition, and lower levels of positive emotionality; parental NE and disinhibition remained unique predictors of offspring irritability in a multivariate model. Finally, parental externalizing disorders were associated with more stable trajectories of offspring irritability, whereas offspring of parents without a history of externalizing disorders showed decreasing irritability across time. Findings demonstrate that different aspects of parental personality and psychopathology have differential impacts on levels and course of offspring irritability.

Greater gender diversity among autistic children by self-report and parent-report.

Gender diversity broadly refers to the way in which an individual experiences (expressions and/or identities) their gender distinctly to that which would be expected based upon social norms for their gender assigned at birth. Recent research has shown a higher representation of gender diversity among autistic youth. Previous research in this area has relied on parent-report based on a single question from the Child Behavior Checklist Item-110, asking whether their child "Wishes to be the opposite sex." The Gender Diversity Screening Questionnaire Self-Report and Parent-Report were used to assess the experience of gender diversity in 244 children (140 autism spectrum disorder and 104 typically developing) between 10 and 13 years. The Item-110 was also collected. Results showed that autistic children endorsed much higher rates of Binary Gender Diversity (less identification with their designated sex and more with the other binary sex) and Nonbinary Gender Diversity (identification as neither male nor female) than typically developing children. Similarly, parents of autistic children reported significantly more gender-body incongruence experienced by their child than parents of typically developing children. Specifically, parents of autistic females-assigned-at-birth reported significantly more gender-body incongruence than autistic males-assigned-at-birth. Parent- and self-report measures were largely related. Moreover, statistical comparisons between and within the groups revealed associations between gender profiles and symptoms of anxiety, depression, and suicidality. Results extend previous reports showing increased rates of gender diversity in autistic children, now based on both self-report and parent-report, and highlight the need to better understand and support the unique and complex needs of autistic children who experience gender diversity.

Parent-Reported Stress and Child Behavior for 4-Year-Old Children with Unilateral or Mild Bilateral Hearing Loss.

Children with unilateral or mild bilateral hearing loss are increasingly identified in early childhood. Relatively little is known about how hearing loss affects their developmental trajectory or whether it contributes to parenting stress for these parents. This study aimed to examine child behavior and parenting stress in parents of children with unilateral/mild bilateral hearing loss compared to children with typical hearing. This prospective study involved 54 children with unilateral/mild bilateral hearing loss identified at a median age of 4.5months (IQR 2.6, 6.5) and 42 children with typical hearing. At age 48months, child behavior and parenting stress were measured. Auditory and language results were also analyzed in relation to child behavior and parenting stress. Parents of these children did not report significantly more parenting stress or behavior problems than parents of children with typical hearing. However, both parenting stress and child behavior were related to functional hearing in noise.

Child behavior problems during COVID-19: Associations with parent distress and child social-emotional skills

The COVID-19 pandemic and associated government-mandated shutdowns disrupted schooling, socialization, and family life for school-aged children during spring 2020. These disruptions may have contributed to increased child behavior problems. Thus, we examined behavior problems in 247 children aged 7 to 9 years during Ohio's shutdown period. We investigated whether differences in parent-reported child behavior problems were associated with concurrent parent distress during spring 2020 and/or children's social-emotional skills measured via teacher-reports from the previous year (spring 2019). Parent distress significantly predicted behavior problems, such that more distressed parents also reported more child behavior problems. Child pre-pandemic peer social skills also significantly predicted behavior problems, such that more skilled children exhibited fewer behavior problems. There were no interaction effects between parent distress and children's social-emotional skills on child behavior problems. Further research is needed to understand how children's social-emotional skills impact their ability to cope during times of epidemiological crisis.

Maternal polycystic ovary syndrome and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in offspring at 3years of age: Odense Child Cohort.

Previous data suggested a link between maternal polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and offspring attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which could be mediated by higher prenatal androgen exposure. The study was part of the prospective Odense Child Cohort and included 1776 pregnant women, 165 (9%) with PCOS and 1607 (91%) controls. ADHD symptoms at 3years of age were defined using the parent-reported questionnaire Child Behavior Checklist/1.5-5 (scores >90th centile of Danish national standard). Maternal blood samples were collected in the third trimester measuring total testosterone by mass spectrometry, sex hormone-binding globulin, and calculated free testosterone. Offspring anogenital distance was measured at 3months of age. Regression models were performed with presence of ADHD symptoms as the dependent variable and adjusted for maternal age, body mass index, parity, smoking status, educational level, and parental psychiatric diagnoses. ADHD symptoms were present in 105/937 (11%) boys and 72/839 (9%) girls. In boys, maternal PCOS was positively associated with ADHD symptoms (unadjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.91, 95% CI 1.07-3.43, p=0.03, adjusted OR 2.20, 95% CI 1.20-4.02, p=0.01), whereas maternal PCOS was not associated with ADHD symptoms in girls. Maternal total testosterone, free testosterone, and offspring anogenital distance were not associated with higher risk of ADHD symptoms in the offspring. Higher risk of ADHD in boys born of mothers with PCOS were not associated with maternal third-trimester testosterone levels or offspring anogenital distance.

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

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

Associations Between Meeting Global 24-hour Movement Guidelines And Temperament And Vocabulary Development In Preschoolers

PURPOSE: Global 24-hour movement guidelines for physical activity (PA), sedentary time (ST), and sleep were recently published by the World Health Organization for early childhood. Although compliance with similar guidelines has been associated with fewer behavioral and emotional problems and better cognitive development in young children, additional evidence is warranted for other behavioral and developmental measures. METHODS: Cross-sectional analyses were conducted in a sample of 218 preschoolers (50.8 ± 9.5 months). PA and sleep were measured with wrist-based accelerometry for up to 16 days. ST was collected via parent report. Participants were categorized as meeting the full guidelines or not, as well as meeting different combinations of recommendations within the guidelines for weekdays and weekends. Vocabulary knowledge was assessed with the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test. Temperament indicators included surgency extroversion, negative affectivity, and effortful control from the parent-reported Child Behavior Questionnaire Very Short Form. Linear regression models adjusted for age, BMI percentile, and sex were analyzed for vocabulary development and temperament measures with meeting guidelines and combinations of meeting recommendations as predictor variables. RESULTS: Meeting the full guidelines was not significantly associated with any of the outcomes. On weekdays, meeting the ST (β = 6.69, p = 0.030), PA + ST (β = 7.37, p = 0.017), and ST + sleep (β = 6.52, p = 0.036) recommendations was associated with higher vocabulary scores. Weekend PA compliance was associated with lower surgency extroversion scores (β = -0.47, p = 0.036). Meeting PA recommendations on both weekdays (β = -0.65, p = 0.014) and weekends (β = -0.28, p = 0.045), sleep recommendations on weekdays (β = -0.32, p = 0.038), and PA + sleep on weekdays (β = -0.39, p = 0.007) was associated with higher scores for effortful control. CONCLUSION: Although achieving recommendations in some behaviors was associated with vocabulary knowledge and temperament, there was not overall evidence supporting a positive relation between guideline compliance and these developmental measures. Additional research may be warranted to examine what movement behavior compositions are most beneficial for these outcomes. Supported by: NIH R01 HL111695

Exploring the Effects of Parental Involvement on Broad and Specific Dimensions of Behavioral Problems in Adolescence.

Few studies have differentiated the specificity from the generality of the associations between parental involvement and adolescent behavioral problems across levels of the psychopathology hierarchy. Among 537 adolescents aged 11-17years, the current study considered the extent to which associations between mother- and father- involvement and behavioral problems (assessed via the parent-reported Child Behavior Checklist) were unique to a specific dimension or reflective of associations with higher-order factors. The hierarchical structure of behavioral problems fit well, with total problems at the top, internalizing and externalizing at the second level, and eight specific symptom dimensions at the third level. Mother and father involvement were protective factors for withdrawn/depressed symptoms and risk factors for anxious/depressed symptoms that were not accounted for by internalizing or total problems. Mother involvement was also a protective factor for rule-breaking behavior and a risk factor for social problems symptoms and aggressive behavior symptoms that were not accounted for by externalizing or total problems.