TRacking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey Research Articles

How do victims of bullying develop depression? Testing interpersonal style to explain the victimization-depression link.

This study tested to what extent the relation between bullying victimization and future symptoms of depression could be explained by victims being more hostile and less assertive than non-involved individuals. Data came from waves 2-4 of the Dutch TRacking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS). Participants' bullying experiences were assessed at age 13, interpersonal style at age 16, and depression symptoms at age 19. Mediation analyses were performed primarily on 274 self-reported victims and 1498 non-involved peers. Self-reported victims had an increased risk for depression symptoms. About a third of that risk could be explained by victims' hostile style, which was also higher than those of non-involved peers. Although victims also reported lower levels of assertiveness than non-involved peers, this interpersonal style did not mediate the link between bullying victimization and depression. Our findings suggest that high hostility, but not low assertiveness, partly explains the increased depression risk of self-reported victims. Therefore, interventions could focus on addressing hostility, to help reduce the likelihood that adolescents who have experienced bullying victimization will have more interpersonal conflicts and mental health problems in the future. Supplementary materials also include analyses for bullies and bully-victims, and for peer-reported measures.

Impact of parenthood on eating pathology in young adults.

Few studies investigated parenthood as a predictor of eating pathology in young adulthood. We studied the association between parenthood, in the first year after becoming a parent and beyond, and eating pathology. Furthermore, we examined whether moving in together with a partner affected this association. This study used data of four measurement waves from TRAILS (Tracking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey), a Dutch community cohort study (N = 2229) from preadolescence into young adulthood. The Eating Disorder Diagnostic Scale (EDDS), a measure to assess eating pathology, was assessed at ages 22, 26, and 29. Risk for eating disorder was assessed at age 19. Pregnant participants were excluded. Parenthood was not associated with an increase of eating pathology in the first year after becoming a parent and beyond. Instead, parents were more likely to report being free from eating pathology symptoms compared to childless individuals (OR 2.07, 95% CI: 1.11-3.84). Among those who reported experiencing at least one eating problem, parenthood was not associated with the number of eating problems. Moving in together with a partner did not alter the association between parenthood and eating problems and neither did this association differ between males and females. Parenthood in young adulthood was associated with a decreased risk of having eating pathology. In this longitudinal study among young adults, parenthood was not associated with the development of eating pathology.

The Relation between Residential Mobility and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems in Adolescence: The Role of Subjective Moving Experience, Gender, and Friendship Quality.

Adolescent residential mobility can be a stressful life event, potentially aggravating internalizing or externalizing problems. However, the longitudinal effects of residential mobility are understudied and may be context-dependent. This study investigates the longitudinal associations between adolescent residential mobility and internalizing and externalizing problems. Additionally, this study examines for whom residential moves are most detrimental by including subjective moving experience, gender, and friendship quality before the move as moderators. Longitudinal data from 2,029 adolescents (51% female) from the TRacking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS) were used (Mage [SD] at T1 = 11.1 [0.55], T2 = 13.6 [0.52], and T3 = 16.3 [0.70]). Results from stepwise multi-level random-effect models showed that adolescents who experienced an unpleasant move remained stable in internalizing problems, while others decreased over time. Adolescents who moved increased stronger in externalizing problems than adolescents who did not move, independent of whether they experienced the move as unpleasant. Gender and friendship quality before the move did not moderate the relation between residential mobility and internalizing or externalizing problem development. These results emphasize that residential moves in adolescence, especially when experienced as unpleasant, can have long-lasting negative effects on adolescent development.

Young adults' work-family life courses and mental health trajectories from adolescence to young adulthood: a TRAILS study.

Work-family life courses have been associated with mental health at various time points in life but little is known about how mental health develops during these work-family life courses. The aim of this study was to examine mental health trajectories from adolescence to young adulthood in women and men with different work-family life courses. Data from 992 young adults participating in the 18-year follow-up TRacking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS) were used. Work-family life courses from ages 18 to 28 years were previously constructed using sequence analysis. For each work-family life course, trajectories of internalising and externalising problems from ages 11 to 29 years were estimated using a multi-group random intercept growth model. Differences in mental health trajectories were examined across work-family life courses. For women, trajectories of internalising and externalising problems in young adulthood differed significantly between work-family life courses (p = 0.037 and p < 0.001, respectively). Women in the inactive work-family life course reported the highest scores of internalising and externalising problems during the entire young adulthood but the differences in mental health scores became most pronounced at age 29. Trajectories of internalising and externalising problems of men did not significantly differ between the work-family life courses. Mental health trajectories differed between women depending on their work-family life course. In men, differences between work-family life courses were less pronounced. Future studies should examine which work-family events and transitions captured in work-family life courses are associated with subsequent mental health problems during longer follow-up.

Explanatory and modifying factors of the association between sex and depression onset during adolescence: An exploratory study

BackgroundThe prevalence of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is twice as high in women as in men and this difference already emerges during adolescence. Because the mechanisms underlying this sex-difference remain poorly understood, we took a bottom-up approach to identify factors explaining the sex-MDD relationship. MethodsData came from the TRacking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS), a population study investigating youths' development from age 11 into adulthood. We assessed multiple baseline covariates (e.g., demographic, social and psychological) at ages 11–13 years and MDD onset at ages 19 and 25 years. In regression analyses, each covariate's role in the sex-MDD association as an effect modifier or confounder/explanatory variable was investigated. Replicability was evaluated in an independent sample. ResultsThe analyses identified no effect-modifiers. Baseline internalizing problems, behavioral inhibition, dizziness, comfort in classroom, physical complaints, attention problems, cooperation, self/effortful control, interpersonal life events and computer use partially explained the association between sex and MDD at age 19. The association between sex and MDD at age 25 was explained by largely the same variables, but also by shyness, acne, antisocial behavior, aggression, affection from peers and time spent shopping. The explanatory roles of internalizing problems, behavioral inhibition, negative events involving gossip/rumors and leisure-time spending (computer-use/shopping) were replicated. LimitationsPotentially important baseline variables were not included or had low response rates. Gender roles or identification were not considered. Baseline MDD was not adjusted for. ConclusionThe sex-MDD association is partially explained by sex differences in symptoms and vulnerability factors already present in early adolescence.

Once in NEET, always in NEET? Childhood and adolescent risk factors for different NEET patterns.

Young adults in Neither in Employment, Education nor Training (NEET) are at risk of adverse labour market outcomes. Earlier studies often measured NEET status at one time point or compared persistent NEETs with non-NEETs, neglecting other patterns of NEET status. Evidence on early life factors associated with NEET patterns is lacking. This study aims to (i) identify patterns of NEET status over time and (ii) examine whether factors in childhood and adolescence are associated with these patterns. Data were used from 1499 participants of the TRacking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS), a Dutch prospective cohort study with 15-year follow-up. NEET status was assessed at ages 19, 22 and 26. Socioeconomic status of parents (SES), intelligence and negative life events were measured at age 11, educational attainment at age 26 and mental health problems at ages 11, 13.5 and 16. Data were analyzed using multinomial logistic regression analysis. Four NEET patterns were identified: (i) non-NEETs (85.2%), (ii) early NEETs (4.5%), (iii) late NEETs (5.7%) and (iv) persistent NEETs (4.5%). Reporting internalizing problems at age 11 was a risk factor for early and late NEETs [odds ratio (OR) 2.77, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.16-6.62; OR 5.00, 95% CI 2.22-11.3, respectively]. Low parental SES, lower intelligence scores and negative life events (≥3) were risk factors for persistent NEETs (OR 4.45, 95% CI 2.00-9.91; OR 0.96, 95% CI 0.94-0.98; OR 4.42, 95% CI 1.62-12.08, respectively). The results highlight the importance of timing and duration of NEET status and emphasize the need for tailored interventions to prevent specific NEET patterns.

Longitudinal associations of neighbourhood environmental exposures with mental health problems during adolescence: Findings from the TRAILS study

BackgroundCross-sectional studies have found associations between neighbourhood environments and adolescent mental health, but the few longitudinal studies mainly focused on single exposure-based analyses and rarely assessed the mental health associations with environmental changes. ObjectivesWe assessed longitudinal within- and between-person associations of multiple neighbourhood time-varying physical and social environmental exposures with externalising and internalising problems throughout adolescence. MethodsWe used four waves of TRAILS (Tracking Adolescents’ Individual Lives Survey) data on self-reported externalising and internalising problems at ages 11, 13, 16, and 19 among 2,135 adolescents in the Netherlands. We measured residence-based time-varying environmental exposures, including green space, air pollution (fine particulate matter (PM2.5)), noise, deprivation, and social fragmentation. We fitted random-effect within-between regression models to assess the environment-mental health associations. ResultsAt the within-person level, an interquartile range (IQR) increase in PM2.5 was associated with a 0.056 IQR (95% CI: 0.014, 0.099) increase in externalising problems, while an IQR social fragmentation increase was associated with a 0.010 IQR (95% CI: −0.020, −0.001) decrease in externalising problems. Stratification revealed that the association with PM2.5 was significant only for movers, whereas the association with social fragmentation remained only for non-movers. At the between-person level, an IQR higher noise was associated with a 0.100 IQR (95% CI: 0.031, 0.169) more externalising problems, while higher deprivation (β = 0.080; 95% CI: 0.022, 0.138) and lower fragmentation (β = -0.073; 95% CI: −0.128, −0.018) were associated with more internalising problems. We also observed positive between-person associations between PM2.5, noise, and internalising problems, but both associations were unstable due to the high PM2.5-noise correlation. Further, we observed a non-linear between-person PM2.5-externalising problems association turning positive when PM2.5 > 15 µg/m3. Null associations were found for green space. ConclusionOur findings suggested that air pollution, noise, and neighbourhood deprivation are risk factors for adolescent mental health. Not only exposure levels but also exposure changes matter for adolescent mental health.

Longitudinal effects of environmental noise and air pollution exposure on autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder during adolescence and early adulthood: The TRAILS study

BackgroundExposure to ambient noise and air pollution may affect the manifestation and severity of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). However, evidence is limited, and most studies solely assessed environmental exposures during pregnancy and early childhood. ObjectiveTo examine the longitudinal effects of ambient noise and air pollutants on ASD and ADHD symptom severity during adolescence and early adulthood. MethodsUsing a longitudinal design, we included 2750 children between 10 and 12 years old from the TRacking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS) in the Netherlands, who were assessed in 6 waves from 2001 to 2017. ASD was measured by the Children's Social Behavior Questionnaire and the Adult Social Behavior Questionnaire. ADHD was measured by Child Behavior Checklist and the Adult Behavior Checklist. Ambient noise and air pollution exposures, including Ozone (O3), soot, sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5), and PM10 were modeled at the residential level according to standardized protocols. The longitudinal associations between exposures and symptom outcomes were examined using linear mixed models. ResultsWe found evidence that higher levels of exposure to PM were associated with more severe ASD and ADHD symptoms. This association decreased over time. We did not observe any other consistent associations of noise or other air pollutants with ASD and ADHD severity. ConclusionThe current study provides evidence for the negative impact of PM on ASD and ADHD symptoms. We did not find evidence of the negative health impact of other air pollutants and noise exposures on ASD or ADHD symptoms. Our study adds more evidence on the presence of associations between PM air pollution and neurodevelopmental diseases among adolescents and young adults.

Single and cumulative exposure to psychosocial work conditions and mental health among young adults.

The consequences of a single point-in-time compared to cumulative exposure to psychosocial work conditions (PWCs) for young adults' mental health have received relatively little attention. This study investigates (i) the associations between single and cumulative exposure to adverse PWCs at ages 22 and 26 with mental health problems (MHPs) among young adults at age 29 and (ii) the effect of early life MHPs on MHPs at age 29. Data were used from 362 participants in the TRacking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS), a Dutch prospective cohort study with 18-year follow-up. PWCs were assessed at ages 22 and 26 with the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire. Internalizing (i.e. depressive and somatic complaints, anxiety) and externalizing MHPs (i.e. aggressive and rule-breaking behaviour) were measured by the Youth/Adult Self-Report at ages 11, 13, 16, 19, 22 and 29. Regression analyses were conducted to examine the associations between single and cumulative exposure to PWCs and MHPs. Single exposure to high work demands at ages 22 or 26 and high-strain jobs at age 22 were associated with internalizing problems at age 29; the association attenuated after adjustment for early life internalizing problems but remained significant. No associations were found between cumulative exposures and internalizing problems. No associations were found between single or cumulative exposures to PWCs and externalizing problems at age 29. In view of the mental health burden in working populations our findings call for early implementation of programmes targeting both work demands and MHPs to keep young adults working.

Participation and compliance in a 6-month daily diary study among individuals at risk for mental health problems.

Intensive longitudinal (IL) measurement, which involves prolonged self-monitoring, may have important clinical applications but is also burdening. This raises the question who takes part in and successfully completes IL measurements. This preregistered study investigated which demographic, personality, economic, social, psychological, or physical participant characteristics are associated with participation and compliance in an IL study conducted in young adults at enhanced risk for psychopathology. Dutch young adults enrolled in the clinical cohort of the TRacking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS) were invited to a 6-month daily diary study. Participant characteristics came from five earlier TRAILS assessment waves collected from Age 11 onwards. To evaluate participation, we compared diary study participants (N = 134) to nonparticipants (N = 309) and a sex-matched subsample (N = 1926) of individuals from the general population cohort of TRAILS. To evaluate compliance, we analyzed which characteristics were related to the proportion of completed diary entries. We found that participants (23.6 ± 0.7 years old; 57% male) were largely similar to nonparticipants. In addition, compared to the general population, participants reported more negative scores on nearly all characteristics. Internalizing problems predicted higher compliance. Externalizing problems, antisocial behavior, and daily smoking predicted lower compliance. Thus, in at-risk young adults, who scored lower on nearly every positive characteristic and higher on every negative characteristic relative to the general population, participation in a diary study is unbiased. Small biases in compliance occur, of which researchers should be aware. IL measurement is thus suitable in at-risk populations, which is a requirement for its usefulness in clinical practice. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

When Too Much Help is of No Help: Mothers’ and Fathers’ Perceived Overprotective Behavior and (Mal)Adaptive Functioning in Adolescents

Although parental overprotection is theorized to have lasting negative effects throughout a child’s life, there is limited empirical evidence available on its long-term significance on adolescent well-being. This preregistered, three-wave longitudinal study investigated the association of maternal and paternal perceived overprotection in early adolescence with the development of (mal)adaptive psychological, academic, and social functioning throughout adolescence. Data (N = 2229; 50.7% girls) from the longitudinal TRacking Adolescents’ Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS) in the Netherlands were used (Mage T1 = 11.11, T2 = 13.57, T3 = 16.28). At T1, adolescents reported on their mothers’ and fathers’ overprotection. From T1 to T3 adolescents and teachers reported about internalizing problems, academic achievement, prosocial, and antisocial behavior. The results showed concurrent associations between higher levels of perceived overprotection and higher levels of internalizing problems, antisocial behaviors, and (after controlling for parental warmth and rejection) lower levels of academic achievement. Perceived overprotection was positively associated with decreased internalizing problems over time. This longitudinal association disappeared after controlling for baseline levels of internalizing problems, suggesting that this result was less robust than expected. Mothers and fathers did not differ in their associations between perceived overprotection and (mal)adaptive functioning. The findings showed that perceived overprotection is mainly concurrently associated with (mal)adaptive adolescent functioning. Future research recommendations are discussed in terms of stability and bidirectional relations.

Workplace social support, mental health and work functioning among young workers

Abstract Background Young adults with a history of mental health problems (MHPs) report lower work functioning (WF) compared to their peers without a history of MHPs. The identification of modifiable, protective workplace factors, such as workplace social support, is needed to increase WF.We examined the moderating role of workplace social support from supervisors and co-workers in the prospective association between MHP trajectories from childhood to young adulthood and WF among young adults. Methods The most recent 2019/2020 data of N = 861 young workers, participating in the 18-year follow-up Dutch TRAILS (TRacking Adolescents’ Individual Lives Survey) cohort study, was used. MHP trajectories for internalising and externalising problems included measurements at ages 11, 13, 16, 19, 22 and 26. Supervisor and co-worker social support were measured at age 29. WF was assessed at age 29. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the moderating role of workplace social support in the association between MHP trajectories and WF. Results Four trajectories were identified for both internalising and externalising problems. Young adults with high-stable MHP trajectories reported more often low WF (ORs 3.73 (95% CI 2.28-6.12) and 2.88 (1.78-4.65) for internalising and externalising problems respectively) than those with low-stable trajectories. Higher supervisor and co-worker social support were associated with a lower odds for low work functioning (adjusted ORs ranging from 0.67 (0.54-0.83) to 0.84 (0.71-1.00)). No moderating effect of workplace social support was found for the association between MHP trajectories and WF. Conclusions Both supervisor and co-worker support were shown to be important for all young workers, regardless their history of mental health problems. Occupational health professionals should create awareness among employers and employees that workplace social support is beneficial for young adults’ work functioning. Key messages • Both supervisor and co-worker social support are important for all young workers’ work functioning, regardless of their history of mental health problems. • Creating awareness of the impact of workplace social support on young adults’ work functioning among employers and employees should be a priority area for occupational health practice and policy.

Reward Sensitivity at Age 13 Predicts the Future Course of Psychopathology Symptoms.

BackgroundThere are numerous observations of reward sensitivity being associated with different psychiatric disorders. Nonetheless, most studies investigating this relationship have been cross-sectional. Additionally, current knowledge is fragmentary as studies often investigate only one disorder at a time. The present study addresses these gaps by investigating whether reward sensitivity at age 13 predicts the course of nine psychopathology domains (attention and hyperactivity, autism spectrum, reactive aggression, proactive aggression, mood, anxiety, smoking, alcohol use, and cannabis use) over a 14-year follow-up period.MethodsWe used dimensional outcomes on 2,523 individuals over five measurement waves between ages 13 and 26 of the Dutch Tracking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS). Reward sensitivity was measured with the Behavioral Activation System (BAS) scale. The longitudinal associations between reward sensitivity and psychopathology were examined using growth curve analysis within a multilevel framework.ResultsReward sensitivity at age 13 was associated with changes in psychopathology over time. Reward sensitivity had a stable main effect on the future course of reactive and proactive aggression problems and anxiety problems. The effect of reward sensitivity increased over time for alcohol and cannabis use. Post-hoc analyses showed that reward sensitivity also had a stable effect on attention problems and hyperactivity and smoking when based on the fun-seeking subscale for both domains and when changing the informant who reported on attention problems and hyperactivity. No evidence was found for a longitudinal association between reward sensitivity and autism spectrum problems and mood problems.ConclusionThe current study provides evidence for the long-lasting effects of reward sensitivity on the course of different domains of psychopathology.

Proposing network analysis for early life adversity: An application on life event data

Commonly used methods for modelling early life adversity (e.g., sum-scores, latent class or trajectory approaches, single-adversity approaches, and factor-analytical approaches) have not been able to capture the complex nature of early life adversity. We propose network analysis as an alternative way of modelling early life adversity (ELA). Our aim was to construct a network of fourteen adverse events (AEs) that occurred before the age of 16 in the TRacking Adolescents Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS, N = 1029). To show how network analysis can provide insight into why AEs are associated, we compared findings from the resulting network model to findings from tetrachoric correlation analyses. The resulting network of ELA comprised direct relationships between AEs and more complex, indirect relationships. A total of fifteen edges emerged in the network of AEs (out of 91 possible edges). The correlation coefficients suggested that many AEs were associated. The network model of ELA indicated, however, that several associations were attributable to interactions with other AEs. For example, the zero-order correlation between parental addiction and familial conflicts (0.24) could be explained by interactions with parental divorce. Our application of network analysis shows that using network analysis for modelling the ELA construct allows capturing the constructs' complex nature. Future studies should focus on gaining more insight into the most optimal model estimation and selection procedures, as well as sample size requirements. Network analysis provides researchers with a valuable tool that allows them as well as policy-makers and professionals to gain insight into potential mechanisms through which adversities are associated with each other, and conjunctively, with life course outcomes of interest.

Interactions between Genetic, Prenatal, Cortisol, and Parenting Influences on Adolescent Substance Use and Frequency: A TRAILS Study

Introduction: Dynamic relations between genetic, hormone, and pre- and postnatal environments are theorized as critically important for adolescent substance use but are rarely tested in multifactorial models. This study assessed the impact of interactions of genetic risk and cortisol reactivity with prenatal and parenting influences on both any and frequency of adolescent substance use. Methods: Data are from the TRacking Adolescents’ Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS), a prospective longitudinal, multi-rater study of 2,230 Dutch adolescents. Genetic risk was assessed via 3 substance-specific polygenic scores. Mothers retrospectively reported prenatal risk when adolescents were 11 years old. Adolescents rated their parents’ warmth and hostility at age 11. Salivary cortisol reactivity was measured in response to a social stress task at age 16. Adolescents’ self-reported cigarette, alcohol, and cannabis use frequency at age 16. Results: A multivariate hurdle regression model showed that polygenic risk for smoking, alcohol, and cannabis predicted any use of each substance, respectively, but predicted more frequent use only for smoking. Blunted cortisol reactivity predicted any use and more frequent use for all 3 outcomes. There were 2 interactions: blunted cortisol reactivity exacerbated the association of polygenic risk with any smoking and the association of prenatal risk with any alcohol use. Conclusion: Polygenic risk seems of importance for early use but less so for frequency of use, whereas blunted cortisol reactivity was correlated with both. Blunted cortisol reactivity may also catalyze early risks for substance use, though to a limited degree. Gene-environment interactions play no role in the context of this multifactorial model.

Parental rejection in early adolescence predicts a persistent ADHD symptom trajectory across adolescence

Despite a general decrease of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms during adolescence, these may persist in some individuals but not in others. Prior cross-sectional studies have shown that parenting style and their interaction with candidate genes are associated with ADHD symptoms. However, there is a lack of longitudinal research examining the independent and interactive effects of parenting and plasticity genes in predicting the course of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms across adolescence. Here, we investigated how children perceived their parents’ parenting style (i.e., rejection, overprotection, and emotional warmth) at the age of 11, and their interaction with DRD4,MAOA, and 5-HTTLPR genotypes on parent-reported ADHD symptoms at three time points (mean ages 11.1, 13.4, and 16.2 years) in 1730 adolescents from the TRacking Adolescents’ Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS). Growth Mixture Modeling in Mplus identified four ADHD symptom trajectories: low, moderate stable, high decreasing, and high persistent. Perceived parental rejection predicted class membership in the high persistent trajectory compared to the other classes (p < 0.001, odds ratios between 2.14 and 3.74). Gene-environment interactions were not significantly related to class membership. Our results indicate a role of perceived parental rejection in the persistence of ADHD symptoms. Perceived parental rejection should, therefore, be taken into consideration during prevention and treatment of ADHD in young adolescents.

Quality over quantity: A transactional model of social withdrawal and friendship development in late adolescence.

The aim of this study was to test a longitudinal, transactional model that describes how social withdrawal and friendship development are interrelated in late adolescence, and to investigate if post‐secondary transitions are catalysts of change for highly withdrawn adolescents’ friendships. Unilateral friendship data of 1,019 adolescents (61.3% female, 91% Dutch‐origin) from the Tracking Adolescents’ Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS) cohort were collected five times from ages 17 to 18 years. Social withdrawal was assessed at 16 and 19 years. The transactional model was tested within a Structural Equation Modeling framework, with intercepts and slopes of friendship quantity, quality, and stability as mediators and residential transitions, education transitions, and sex as moderators. The results confirmed the presence of a transactional relation between withdrawal and friendship quality. Whereas higher age 16 withdrawal predicted having fewer, lower‐quality, and less‐stable friendships, only having lower‐quality friendships, in turn, predicted higher age 19 withdrawal, especially in girls. Residential transitions were catalysts of change for highly withdrawn youth's number of friends: higher withdrawal predicted a moderate increase in number of friends for adolescents who relocated, and no change for those who made an educational transition or did not transition. Taken together, these results indicate that the quality of friendships—over and above number of friends and the stability of those friendships—is particularly important for entrenching or diminishing withdrawal in late adolescence, and that relocating provides an opportunity for withdrawn late adolescents to expand their friendship networks.

Adolescent oral contraceptive use and future major depressive disorder

IntroductionPreviously reported associations between oral contraceptives (OCs) use and depression have been conflicting. Insight into the impact of analytical choices on the association may help to reconcile previous heterogeneous findings.ObjectivesWe aimed to examine the association between adolescent OC use and subsequent depression risk in early adulthood analyzing all theoretically justifiable models.MethodsWomen from the prospective cohort study Tracking Adolescents’ Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS) were included in this study. All justifiable associations between adolescent OC use (ages 16-19 years) and major depressive disorder (MDD) in early adulthood (ages 20-25 years) as assessed by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV oriented Lifetime Depression Assessment Self-Report and the Composite International Diagnostic Interview were tested.ResultsA total of 818 analytical models were analyzed in 534 adolescent OC users and 191 nonusers. Overall, there was a tentative association of adolescent OC use and an episode of MDD in early adulthood (median odds ratio [OR] median=1.41; ORmin=1.08; ORmax=2.18, permutation testing p-value 1 = .052, and p-value 2 = .046), which was primarily driven by the group of young women with no history of MDD (ORmedian=1.72; ORmin=1.21; ORmax=2.18, both permutation testing p-values = .02).ConclusionsAdolescent OC use was associated with an increased risk for experiencing an episode of MDD, but only among women with no history of MDD in adolescence. Understanding the potential side effects of OCs will help women and their doctors make informed choices when deciding among possible methods of birth control.DisclosureNo significant relationships.

Risk factors in preadolescent boys and girls for the development of eating pathology in young adulthood.

ObjectiveDespite a growing literature on potential risk factors for eating disorders, longitudinal research starting before adolescence is scarce, and little is known about risk factors in males. We investigated risk factors in preadolescent boys and girls for the development of eating pathology in adolescence and young adulthood.MethodThis study is part of TRAILS (TRacking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey), a Dutch population‐based cohort study (N = 2,229) from preadolescence into adulthood. Potential risk factors were measured at age 11, based on self‐report, reports of one of the parents, and records of the Preventive Child Healthcare. Variables included sociodemographic variables, pregnancy and perinatal factors, eating‐ and weight‐related factors, psychological functioning, stressful experiences and family factors. At age 19, two‐stage screening including interviews by eating disorder experts was used to examine the prevalence of eating disorders. At age 22 and 26, eating pathology was assessed by the Eating Disorder Diagnostic Scale.ResultsPreadolescent anxious distress and high weight were associated with eating pathology in adolescence and young adulthood in both boys and girls. Overeating in preadolescence was found to be a prodromal symptom of eating disorders during late adolescence. No evidence was found for sex‐specific risk factors.DiscussionAnxious preadolescents with high weight are at increased risk for the development of eating pathology later on. Clinicians should be aware of eating disorder symptoms — like overeating — in this high‐risk group of children, and could consider an early intervention to prevent the development of full‐blown eating disorders.

Adolescents’ mental health problems increase after parental divorce, not before, and persist until adulthood: a longitudinal TRAILS study

Parental divorce is one of the most stressful life events for youth and is often associated with (long-lasting) emotional and behavioral problems (EBP). However, not much is known about the timing of the emergence of these EBP in adolescents relative to the moment of parental divorce, and its longitudinal effects. We therefore assessed this timing of EBP in adolescents of divorce and its longitudinal effects. We used the first four waves of the TRacking Adolescent’s Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS) cohort, which included 2230 10–12 years olds at baseline. EBP were measured through the Youth Self-Report (YSR), as internalizing and externalizing problems. We applied multilevel analysis to assess the effect of divorce on EBP. The levels of both internalizing and externalizing problems were significantly higher in the period after parental divorce (β = 0.03, and 0.03, respectively; p < 0.05), but not in the period before divorce, with a persistent and increasing effect over the follow-up periods compared to adolescents not experiencing divorce. Adolescents tend to develop more EBP in the period after parental divorce, not before. These effects are long-lasting and underline the need for better care for children with divorcing parents.