One's peer group can have a strong impact on depressed mood and harmful drinking in adolescence. It remains unclear whether affiliation with deviant peers explains the link between these traits. Our study aims to (1) explore the... more
One's peer group can have a strong impact on depressed mood and harmful drinking in adolescence. It remains unclear whether affiliation with deviant peers explains the link between these traits. Our study aims to (1) explore the developmental relationship between harmful drinking and depressed mood in adolescence and (2) establish to which extent affiliation with deviant peers explains this relationship. A total of 4,863 adolescents from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children were assessed between the ages of 14 and 16 years. Harmful drinking was established using age-appropriate measures: the Semi-Structured Assessment for the Genetics of Alcoholism in mid-adolescence (age, 14 years) and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test in late adolescence (age, 16 years). Depressed mood was measured by the Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire at both ages. Affiliation with deviant peers was assessed at the age of 15 years. Harmful drinking at the age of 14 years pred...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Depressive syndromes in childhood and adolescence are distinguished by their varied and diverse symptomatology. They often lack the leading symptoms characteristic of the adult depressive state due to the pathoplasticity which accompanies... more
Depressive syndromes in childhood and adolescence are distinguished by their varied and diverse symptomatology. They often lack the leading symptoms characteristic of the adult depressive state due to the pathoplasticity which accompanies development. Hence, it appears all the more important to achieve pragmatically-orientated nosological approach, with due consideration to pluralistic modes of therapeutic management. An attempt is made to present such a nosological concept on the basis of experience gained in the study of a collective of out-patient juveniles with depressive states.
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Sociology, Anthropology, Poverty, Mental Health, Adolescent, and 17 moreCausality, Social Science & Medicine, Humans, Female, Divorce, Male, Cohort Study, Income, Conduct Disorder, Great Britain, Longitudinal Studies, Public health systems and services research, Conduct Problems, Birth Cohort, Family Size, Single Parent Families, and Cohort Studies
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The co-occurrence of alcohol use and antisocial behavior is well established, but different hypotheses exist regarding the direction of effects between the 2 behaviors. We used longitudinal data to examine the directional relationship... more
The co-occurrence of alcohol use and antisocial behavior is well established, but different hypotheses exist regarding the direction of effects between the 2 behaviors. We used longitudinal data to examine the directional relationship between the 2 behaviors across adolescence. A cross-lagged model was applied to longitudinal data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. The sample used in the present study consisted of 4,354 females and 3,984 males. Alcohol use and antisocial behavior were measured with multiple items collected at 12, 13, 15, and 17 years of age. Both alcohol use and antisocial behavior were highly stable, as evidenced by highly significant autoregressive paths. Regarding the cross-lagged paths, neither behavior was predictive of the other during early adolescence (between ages 12 and 13). During mid-to late adolescence (from ages 13 to 17), antisocial behavior was predictive of subsequent alcohol use. Alcohol use was predictive of antisocial behavior in late adolescence (between ages 15 and 17), although this relationship was mainly driven by males and was not significant in the female subgroup. The result generally supported the direction from antisocial behavior to alcohol use, especially during mid- to late adolescence. However, there was also a suggestion that the direction of relationship between the 2 behaviors changes across adolescence. The results highlight the importance of considering developmental stages to understand the directional relationships between the 2 behaviors.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Risk factors for children's development are multifarious and co-occur, having cumulative as well as individual impacts. Yet common configurations of early childhood risks... more
Risk factors for children's development are multifarious and co-occur, having cumulative as well as individual impacts. Yet common configurations of early childhood risks remain little understood. The current study aimed to identify patterns of early risk exposure and to examine their relationship with diverse outcomes in middle childhood. Using latent class analysis in a large, community-based, UK sample (N = 13,699), we examined 13 putative risk factors to identify patterns of exposure. Four risk configurations were identified: low (65 %), socio-demographic (14 %), family dysfunction (12 %), and multiple (9 %) risk classes. As expected, children in the low risk group fared best on all outcome measures, and those with multiple risk, worst. Importantly, specificity in associations with outcomes emerged, such that cognitive outcomes were predominantly linked with socio-demographic adversities, emotional difficulties with family dysfunction, and conduct problems increased across risk classes. Better understanding of configurations of childhood risk exposures may help to target resources for children in need.
Research Interests:
Adoption studies are able to provide important insights into the impact of changed rearing environments for children's development. A number of studies reporting on the childhood adjustment of adoptees have found an increased risk... more
Adoption studies are able to provide important insights into the impact of changed rearing environments for children's development. A number of studies reporting on the childhood adjustment of adoptees have found an increased risk for disruptive behaviour problems when compared with children brought up in intact families. The long-term implications of adoption for psychosocial adjustment in adult life are less clear. We have used data from the National Child Development Study (NCDS) to examine the psychosocial functioning over a number of life-domains of an unselected sample of adoptees, non-adopted children from similar birth circumstances, and other members of the cohort. Adopted women showed very positive adult adjustment across all the domains examined in this study, whilst our findings suggest some difficulty in two specific domains (employment and social support) for adopted men. Implications of the findings are discussed.
Research Interests:
Past studies have documented rising levels of conduct problems among UK adolescents in the last quarter of the twentieth century, and increased rates of emotional difficulties between the 1980s and 1990s. We used parent, teacher and youth... more
Past studies have documented rising levels of conduct problems among UK adolescents in the last quarter of the twentieth century, and increased rates of emotional difficulties between the 1980s and 1990s. We used parent, teacher and youth ratings from two large scale, nationally representative studies of 5-15 year-old carried out in 1999 and 2004 to assess whether these increases continued into the early years of the new millennium. Ratings on most "problem" sub-scales remained stable or showed small declines over this period, and parent and teacher reports suggested small increases in levels of prosocial behaviours. The upward trends in rates of UK child adjustment problems noted since the 1970s and 1980s may have plateaued, and possibly begun to be reversed.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
It is not unusual for researchers to make apparently minor modifications to existing instruments without checking if this alters psychometric properties. Equivalent items on child mental health from two different versions of the Rutter... more
It is not unusual for researchers to make apparently minor modifications to existing instruments without checking if this alters psychometric properties. Equivalent items on child mental health from two different versions of the Rutter parent questionnaire were compared: items from the standard version and from a modified version. The parents of 400 children aged 5-7 years were randomised into two groups: each group completed one version of the Rutter as well as an independent measure of psychopathology (the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire; SDQ). The mean psychopathology scores of the two groups were comparable according to the SDQ but differed markedly between the two Rutter versions, principally because of changes in the response categories. Nevertheless, the validity of the two versions of the Rutter was similar as judged from Rutter-SDQ correlations. Seemingly minor changes in the wording of a measure can have a major impact on mean scores, thereby making it harder to compare or combine the results of studies using the original and the modified measure.
Research Interests:
Much work on school effectiveness has been based on cross‐sectional comparisons between schools. Longitudinal studies of schools over time may complement this approach. Changes in both school practice and pupil outcomes were monitored in... more
Much work on school effectiveness has been based on cross‐sectional comparisons between schools. Longitudinal studies of schools over time may complement this approach. Changes in both school practice and pupil outcomes were monitored in a five year study of change in six London secondary schools. This paper reports on changes in outcomes, illustrating marked improvements in some areas. A companion paper (Ouston, Maughan & Rutter, in press) explores associated changes in school practice.
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Schizophrenia, Motor Development, Family history, London, Humans, and 14 moreChild, Female, Male, Developmental disabilities, Follow-up studies, Cost effectiveness, Risk factors, Schizotypal Personality Disorder, Spectrum, Questionnaires, Psychotic Disorders, Risk Factors, Cross Sectional Studies, and Behavioural Problems
A follow-up of a representative sample of poor readers through secondary schooling confirmed persisting reading problems for most children. As a group, poor readers fell further behind a normal-reading comparison group during their early... more
A follow-up of a representative sample of poor readers through secondary schooling confirmed persisting reading problems for most children. As a group, poor readers fell further behind a normal-reading comparison group during their early teens. Later reading progress was unrelated to gender, SES background, behavior problems or non-school attendance, though these factors did influence wider school attainments. Poor readers were more likely to leave school early, and had much depressed educational qualifications. There were no differences in the reading progress or academic attainments of specifically retarded (IQ-discrepant) and generally backward poor readers.
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Psychology, Adolescent, Comorbidity, England, Multivariate Analysis, and 17 morePsychological Medicine, Humans, Circadian Rhythm, Female, Sleep disorders, Male, Human Behavioral Genetics, Young Adult, Sleep, Siblings, Phenotype, Adult, Public health systems and services research, Social Behavior Disorders, Cross Sectional Studies, Environment, and Neurosciences
Research Interests: Psychology, Parenting, Social Support, Adolescent, Intellectual Disability, and 18 moreEmployment, Social Class, Psychological Medicine, Mental Retardation, Prospective studies, Humans, Child, Female, Male, Follow-up studies, Depressive Disorder, Social Environment, Social Adjustment, Adult, Public health systems and services research, Educational Status, Neurosciences, and Cohort Studies
Research Interests:
To estimate associations between trajectories of conduct problems and social-cognitive competences through childhood into early adolescence. A prospective population-based cohort, the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children... more
To estimate associations between trajectories of conduct problems and social-cognitive competences through childhood into early adolescence. A prospective population-based cohort, the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) recruited in the prenatal period (13,988 children alive at 12 months) formed the basis for the current study. Socio-emotional and pragmatic language competences were examined in relation to conduct problem development in a group of 6,047 children with no known autistic-spectrum disorders. Specifically, conduct problem trajectories (low, childhood-limited, adolescent-onset, and early-onset persistent) identified using maternal prospective reports (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire: ages 4 through 13 years) were contrasted. Demographic confounders, child verbal IQ and other psychopathologies were controlled. In contrast to individuals with low conduct problem levels, all conduct problem groups presented with difficulties in both social-cognitive domains. Deficits among those with early-onset persistent conduct problems were particularly apparent: 40.6% of boys and 24.3% of girls with persistent conduct problems met impairment criteria for one or other social-cognitive domain. Associations remained robust after controlling for demographic confounders (maternal age at birth, low SES, maternal education), child verbal IQ, and internalizing and inattention symptoms. For boys, results indicated that overlaps with overactivity symptoms may contribute problems with pragmatic language; this was not the case for girls or for socio-emotional difficulties. Findings have far-reaching implications for children with conduct problems, particularly those with early onset and persistent difficulties. Traditional parent training interventions are likely to be bolstered by strategies that help to develop the social competences of these children.
Research Interests: Education, Communication Disorders, Psychometrics, Emotional intelligence, Social Cognition, and 17 morePersonality Assessment, Adolescent, Comorbidity, Prospective studies, Humans, Child, Female, Male, Conduct Disorder, Risk factors, Great Britain, Longitudinal Studies, Conduct Problems, Risk Factors, Cross Sectional Studies, Environment, and Cohort Studies
Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is classified as a disruptive disorder, but shows a wide range of associations with other psychopathology, including internalizing problems. The reasons for these associations are unclear. Here we test... more
Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is classified as a disruptive disorder, but shows a wide range of associations with other psychopathology, including internalizing problems. The reasons for these associations are unclear. Here we test the hypothesis that two distinct early temperamental precursors-emotionality and activity-underlie ODD and differentially predict its comorbidities. The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) community-based representative sample was used. Temperamental dimensions at the age of 38 months were derived through exploratory factor analysis from the Emotionality Activity Sociability (EAS) scale and used in logistic regression predicting to psychiatric diagnoses at the age of 91 months. Pure ODD was predicted by both emotionality (relative risk ratio [RRR] = 1.34, CI = 1.09 to 1.66) and activity (RRR = 1.39, CI = 1.07 to 1.81). The strongest predictions were from early temperament to ODD with comorbidity: from emotionality to ODD plus internalizing disorders (RRR = 3.33, CI = 2.14 to 5.19), and from activity to ODD plus ADHD (RRR = 3.24, CI = 1.48 to 7.11). Temperamental activity was a predictor of the hyperactive-impulsive and combined types of ADHD but not of the inattentive type. Classified as a disruptive disorder, ODD is predicted by early emotion dysregulation as well as by high levels of temperamental activity. The findings of this study suggest that early emotionality and activity differentially contribute to the phenotype of ODD in middle childhood and may determine its range of co-occurrence with other psychopathology. Taking into account the heterogeneous origins of childhood oppositionality may help to refine clinical approaches to ODD.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
To test whether school, neighborhood, and family factors are independently associated with... more
To test whether school, neighborhood, and family factors are independently associated with children's involvement in bullying, over and above their own behaviors that may increase their risk for becoming involved in bullying. We examined bullying in the Environmental Risk (E-Risk) Longitudinal Twin Study, a nationally representative 1994-1995 birth cohort of 2,232 children. We used mother and teacher reports to identify children who experienced bullying between the ages of 5 and 7 years either as victims, bullies, or bully-victims. We collected information about school characteristics from the Department for Children, Schools and Families. We collected reports from mothers about children's neighborhood and home environments and reports from mothers and teachers about children's internalizing and externalizing problems when they were 5 years old. Multinomial logistic regressions showed that over and above other socioenvironmental factors and children's behavior problems, school size was associated with an increased risk for being a victim of bullying, problems with neighbors was associated with an increased risk for being a bully-victim, and family factors (e.g., child maltreatment, domestic violence) were associated with all groups of children involved in bullying. Socioenvironmental factors are associated with children's risk for becoming involved in bullying over and above their own behaviors. Intervention programs aimed at reducing bullying should extend their focus beyond schools to include local communities and families.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
We set out to examine the relationship between unintentional injury and common child psychiatric disorders, including both internalizing and externalizing diagnoses. The 1999 British Child and Adolescent Mental Health Survey provided a... more
We set out to examine the relationship between unintentional injury and common child psychiatric disorders, including both internalizing and externalizing diagnoses. The 1999 British Child and Adolescent Mental Health Survey provided a nationally representative sample of over 10,000 children aged 5-15 years. Measures included assessment of diagnoses of psychiatric disorder from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition, unintentional injury, and a range of potentially related psychosocial factors. Children with psychiatric disorders had higher rates of unintentional injury. After accounting for psychosocial risk factors and comorbid psychopathology, oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) was independently associated with burns and poisoning. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was related to fractures, and depression and anxiety also showed independent links to some injury types. ODD and ADHD, rather than conduct disorder, appear to be the externalizing disorders associated with unintentional injury. We discuss possible models of the relationships between internalizing disorders and unintentional injury.
Research Interests: Psychology, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Mental Health, Pediatric Psychology, Adolescent, and 17 moreOppositional Defiant Disorder, Humans, Child, Female, Male, Cohort Study, Mental Disorders, Conduct Disorder, Pediatric, Risk factors, Mental Disorder, Prevalence, Great Britain, Risk Factors, Wounds and Injuries, Cross Sectional Studies, and Logistic Models
Associations between the characteristics of the family environment, in particular poverty and family structure, and cognitive development are well established, yet little is known about the role of timing and accumulation of risk in early... more
Associations between the characteristics of the family environment, in particular poverty and family structure, and cognitive development are well established, yet little is known about the role of timing and accumulation of risk in early childhood. The aim of this paper is to assess the associations between income poverty, family instability and cognitive development in early childhood. In particular, it tests the relative role of family economic hardship compared with family instability in affecting cognitive functioning at the age of 5 years. The study draws on data from the UK Millennium Cohort, linking data collected in infancy, age 3, and age 5 years. Cognitive ability was directly assessed at age 5 years with the British Ability Scales. Using regression models we examine associations between persistent income poverty, family transitions, and children's cognitive ability, controlling for family demographics and housing conditions, as well as child characteristics. The findings suggest that the experience of persistent economic hardship as well as very early poverty undermines cognitive functioning at 5 years of age. Family instability shows no significant association with cognitive functioning after controlling for family poverty, family demographics, housing and a set of control variables indicating child characteristics. Persistent poverty is a crucial risk factor undermining children's cognitive development--more so than family instability.
Research Interests: Human Geography, Epidemiology, Poverty, Cognition, Child Development, and 17 moreVocabulary, Housing, Language Development, Humans, Female, Male, Regression Analysis, Social Environment, Family Relations, Great Britain, Middle Aged, Adult, Public health systems and services research, Sex Factors, Age Factors, Intelligence tests, and Cohort Studies
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Psychology, Cognitive Science, Psychometrics, Parenting, Juvenile Delinquency, and 21 morePersonality Assessment, Socialization, Social Support, England, Social behavior, Humans, Child, Aggression, Female, Male, Crime Victims, Environmental Effect, Social Environment, Risk factors, Phenotype, Social Adjustment, Clinical Sciences, Family Relations, Longitudinal Studies, Risk Factors, and Social Behavior
Three groups of children are involved in bullying: victims, bullies and bully-victims who are both bullies and victims of bullying. Understanding the origins of these groups is important since they have elevated emotional and behavioural... more
Three groups of children are involved in bullying: victims, bullies and bully-victims who are both bullies and victims of bullying. Understanding the origins of these groups is important since they have elevated emotional and behavioural problems, especially the bully-victims. No research has examined the genetic and environmental influences on these social roles. Mother and teacher reports of victimisation and bullying were collected in a nationally representative cohort of 1,116 families with 10-year-old twins. Model-fitting was used to examine the relative influence of genetics and environments on the liability to be a victim, a bully or a bully-victim. Twelve percent of children were severely bullied as victims, 13% were frequent bullies, and 2.5% were heavily involved as bully-victims. Genetic factors accounted for 73% of the variation in victimisation and 61% of the variation in bullying, with the remainder explained by environmental factors not shared between the twins. The covariation between victim and bully roles (r = .25), which characterises bully-victims, was accounted for by genetic factors only. Some genetic factors influenced both victimisation and bullying, although there were also genetic factors specific to each social role. Children's genetic endowments, as well as their surrounding environments, influence which children become victims, bullies and bully-victims. Future research identifying mediating characteristics that link the genetic and environmental influences to these social roles could provide targets for intervention.
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Psychology, Cognitive Science, Fear, Parenting, Child Development, and 19 moreAdolescent, England, Emotions, Empathy, Pregnancy, Humans, Child, Female, Male, Young Adult, Temperament, Mothers, Risk factors, Clinical Sciences, Longitudinal Studies, Adult, Time Factors, Risk Factors, and Parent‐child Relations
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Psychology, Cognitive Science, Individuality, Reading, Writing, and 21 moreAdolescent, Dyslexia, Young People, Reading Disability, Humans, Child, Female, Male, Reading and writing, Young Adult, Clinical Sciences, Great Britain, Middle Aged, Career Choice, Longitudinal Studies, Adult, Educational Status, Individual Difference, Epidemiologic Studies, Verbal Learning, and Leisure Activities
Research Interests:
Despite an expanding epidemiological evidence base, uncertainties remain over key aspects of the epidemiology of the... more
Despite an expanding epidemiological evidence base, uncertainties remain over key aspects of the epidemiology of the 'antisocial' disorders in childhood and adolescence. We used cross-sectional data on a nationally representative sample of 10,438 5-15-year-olds drawn from the 1999 British Child Mental Health Survey to examine age trends, gender ratios and patterns of comorbidity in DSM-IV Conduct Disorder (CD) and Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD). CD was significantly more common in boys than girls, and increased in prevalence with age. Among children who met diagnostic criteria for CD, status violations and other non-aggressive conduct problems increased with age, while aggressive symptoms became less common. Gender differences in ODD varied by reporter. Estimates of age trends in ODD depended heavily on treatment of overlaps with CD. Following DSM-IV guidelines (where ODD is not diagnosed in the presence of CD), rates of ODD fell with age; if that constraint was released, clinically significant rates of oppositionality persisted at similar levels from early childhood to middle adolescence. CD and ODD showed high levels of overlap, and both diagnoses showed substantial comorbidity with other non-antisocial disorders. Results from this large-scale study confirm and extend previous findings in the epidemiology of the disruptive behaviour disorders.
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Psychology, Cognitive Science, Anxiety Disorders, Psychometrics, Personality Assessment, and 15 moreAdolescent, England, Cross-Cultural Comparison, Humans, Child, Personality Assessment Inventory, Female, Male, Depressive Disorder, Clinical Sciences, Longitudinal Studies, Sex Factors, Health surveys, Cross Sectional Studies, and Cohort Studies
Research Interests:
Recent investigations have highlighted associations between maternal smoking in pregnancy and antisocial behaviour in offspring, and suggested the possibility of a causal effect. We used data from the 1970 British birth cohort study... more
Recent investigations have highlighted associations between maternal smoking in pregnancy and antisocial behaviour in offspring, and suggested the possibility of a causal effect. We used data from the 1970 British birth cohort study (BCS70) to examine these links in a large. population-based sample studied prospectively from birth to age 16. We found a strong dose-response relationship between the extent of pregnancy smoking and childhood-onset conduct problems, but no links with adolescent-onset antisocial behaviours. Effects on childhood-onset conduct problems were as marked for girls as for boys, and were robust to controls for a variety of social background factors and maternal characteristics. Controls for mothers' subsequent smoking history modified this picture, however, suggesting that the prime risks for early-onset conduct problems may be associated with persistent maternal smoking--or correlates of persistent smoking--rather than with pregnancy smoking per se.