Association between developmental patterns of single and concurrent externalizing behaviors and internalizing problems over the preschool years.

The present study investigated whether distinct developmental patterns of externalizing behaviors (EBs: hyperactivity-impulsivity, noncompliance, physical aggression) based on parent reports were repeatedly and differentially associated with separate dimensions of internalizing problems such as general anxiety, separation anxiety, and depressive symptoms across the early, middle, and late preschool years in a population birth cohort (N = 2,057, 50.7% boys). Six high trajectory classes obtained by latent growth modeling were used as longitudinal indicators of single EB and co-occurrent EBs. Children following low or moderate trajectories for all EBs served as the reference class. Results revealed that children in trajectory classes reflecting high levels of co-occurring EBs showed higher levels of general anxiety, separation anxiety, and depressive symptoms across the preschool years. In contrast, children in trajectory classes reflecting single EB manifested higher levels of some, but not all, dimensions of internalizing problems. In addition, their scores varied from one period to another. No sex differences were observed in the above associations. These results underline the need for comprehensive assessments across distinct types of EBs and internalizing problems to better reflect the characteristics that distinguish individual children. Finally, results suggest that children showing early co-occurrent EBs and internalizing symptoms may be an important group to target for in-depth assessment and possibly preventive intervention. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Intergenerational transmission of genetic risk for hyperactivity and inattention. Direct genetic transmission or genetic nurture?

Background: Hyperactivity and inattention, the symptoms of ADHD, are marked by high levels of heritability and intergenerational transmission. Two distinct pathways of genetic intergenerational transmission are distinguished: direct genetic transmission when parental genetic variants are passed to the child's genome and genetic nurture when the parental genetic background contributes to the child's outcomes through rearing environment. This study assessed genetic contributions to hyperactivity and inattention in childhood through these transmission pathways. Methods: The sample included 415 families from the Quebec Newborn Twin Study. Twins' hyperactivity and inattention were assessed in early childhood by parents and in primary school by teachers. The polygenic scores for ADHD (ADHD-PGS) and educational attainment (EA-PGS) were computed from twins' and parents' genotypes. A model of intergenerational transmission was developed to estimate (1) the contributions of parents' and children's PGS to the twins' ADHD symptoms and (2) whether these variances were explained by genetic transmission and/or genetic nurture. Results: ADHD-PGS explained up to 1.6% of the variance of hyperactivity and inattention in early childhood and primary school. EA-PGS predicted ADHD symptoms at both ages, explaining up to 1.6% of the variance in early childhood and up to 5.5% in primary school. Genetic transmission was the only significant transmission pathway of both PGS. The genetic nurture channeled through EA-PGS explained up to 3.2% of the variance of inattention in primary school but this association was non-significant. Conclusions: Genetic propensities to ADHD and education predicted ADHD symptoms in childhood, especially in primary school. Its intergenerational transmission was driven primarily by genetic variants passed to the child, rather than by environmentally mediated parental genetic effects. The model developed in this study can be leveraged in future research to investigate genetic transmission and genetic nurture while accounting for parental assortative mating.

Hair steroid before and after COVID-19 in preschoolers: the moderation of family characteristics.

BACKGROUND: Frequent or prolonged exposure to stressors may jeopardize young children's health. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with disruptions in daily routines and social isolation resulting from public health preventive measures, have raised concerns about its potential impact on children' experienced stress, particularly for young children and vulnerable families. However, whether the pandemic was accompanied by changes in physiological stress remains unknown as perceived stress is not a good proxy of physiological stress. This study examined if preschoolers showed increasing hair steroid concentrations following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and whether family characteristics may have exacerbated or buffered these changes. METHODS: 136 preschoolers (2-4 years) provided hair for steroid measurement (cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), cortisone, cortisol-to-DHEA ratio, cortisol-to-cortisone ratio) in October-November 2019 (T0) and in July-August 2020 (T1). A 2-centimeter hair segment was analyzed, reflecting steroid production over the two months leading up to collection. Family income, conflict resolution and lack of cohesion, as well as parents' COVID-19 stress were reported by parents. Linear mixed models for repeated measures and Bayes factors were used. RESULTS: No significant changes were noted from before to after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic for most hair steroids. However, a moderating role of family conflict resolution was noted. Children living with parents with a better ability to resolve conflicts had lower levels of DHEA compared to those who had more difficulty managing conflicts. Additionally, lower levels of family cohesion and income were linked to some steroids, especially DHEA, suggesting that these factors may relate to children's physiological stress. Finally, boys had higher DHEA levels than girls. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that stress biomarkers were comparable from before to during the COVID-19 pandemic. This observation holds true despite the pandemic being perceived by many as a novel, unpredictable, and potentially threatening event. Findings further suggest that family characteristics are associated with hair steroid, especially DHEA, which deserves further investigation.

Trajectories of Adolescent Media Use and Their Associations With Psychotic Experiences.

Importance: Adolescent media use is thought to influence mental health, but whether it is associated with psychotic experiences (PEs) is unclear. Objective: To examine longitudinal trajectories of adolescent media use and their associations with PEs at 23 years of age. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study included participants from the Québec Longitudinal Study of Child Development (1998-2021): children who were born in Québec, Canada, and followed up annually or biennially from ages 5 months through 23 years. Data were analyzed between January 2023 and January 2024. Exposures: Participants reported their weekly amount of television viewing, video gaming, computer use, and reading at ages 12, 13, 15, and 17 years. Main Outcome and Measures: Lifetime occurrence of PEs was measured at 23 years of age. Covariables included sociodemographic, genetic, family, and childhood characteristics between ages 5 months and 12 years. Results: A total of 1226 participants were included in the analyses (713 [58.2%] female, 513 [41.8%] male). For each media type, latent class mixed modeling identified 3 group-based trajectories, with subgroups following trajectories of higher use: television viewing, 128 (10.4%); video gaming, 145 (11.8%); computer use, 353 (28.8%); and reading, 140 (11.4%). Relative to lower video gaming, higher video gaming was preceded by higher levels of mental health and interpersonal problems at age 12 years. Adjusting for these risk factors mitigated the association between higher video gaming and PEs at age 23 years. The curved trajectory of computer use (189 [15.4%] participants), characterized by increasing levels of use until age 15 years followed by a decrease, was associated with higher PEs (estimated difference, +5.3%; 95% CI, +1.5% to +9.3%) relative to lower use (684 [55.8%] participants). This association remained statistically significant after covariable adjustment. Conclusions and Relevance: This study found that longitudinal trajectories of media use during adolescence were modestly associated with PEs at age 23 years, likely reflecting the influence of shared risk factors. Understanding the environmental determinants and psychosocial functions of media use during adolescence may help better integrate digital technologies in the prevention and management of PEs.

Longitudinal study of childhood sleep trajectories and adolescent mental health problems.

Study Objective: To investigate whether childhood sleep trajectories are associated with mental health symptoms such as social phobia, generalized anxiety, depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), conduct problems, and opposition at age 15. Methods: A total of 2120 children took part in the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development. Childhood sleep trajectories were computed from maternal reports at 2.5, 3.5, 4, 6, 8, 10, and/or 12 years. At age 15, 1446 adolescents filled out mental health and sleep questions. A path analysis model was assessed in the full sample. Results: Four childhood nocturnal sleep duration trajectories were identified: (1) a short pattern (7.5%), (2) a short-increasing pattern (5.8%), (3) a 10 hours pattern (50.7%), and (4) an 11 hours pattern (36.0%). Three childhood sleep latency trajectories were found: (1) a short pattern (31.7%), (2) an intermediate pattern (59.9%), and (3) a long pattern (8.4%). Finally, two childhood wakefulness after sleep-onset trajectories were found: (1) a normative pattern (73.0%) and (2) a long pattern (27.0%). The path analysis model indicated that children following a long childhood sleep latency trajectory were more likely to experience symptoms of depression (ß = 0.06, 95% CI: 0.01 to 0.12), ADHD (ß = 0.07, 95% CI: 0.02 to 0.13), conduct problems (ß = 0.05, 95% CI: 0.00 to 0.10) and opposition (ß = 0.08, 95% CI: 0.02 to 0.13) at age 15. Conclusions: This longitudinal study revealed that children presenting a long sleep latency throughout childhood are at greater risk of symptoms of depression, ADHD, conduct problems, and opposition in adolescence.

Genetic and phenotypic evidence of the predictive validity of preschool parent reports of hyperactivity/impulsivity and inattention.

To determine the validity of parent reports (PRs) of ADHD in preschoolers, we assessed hyperactivity/impulsivity (HI) and inattention (IN) in 1114 twins with PRs at 1.5, 2.5, 4, 5, 14, 15, and 17 years, and teacher-reports at 6, 7, 9, 10, and 12. We examined if preschool PRs (1) predict high HI/IN trajectories, and (2) capture genetic contributions to HI/IN into adolescence. Group-based trajectory analyses identified three 6-17 years trajectories for both HI and IN, including small groups with high HI (N = 88, 10.4%, 77% boys) and IN (N = 158, 17.3%, 75% boys). Controlling for sex, each unit of HI PRs starting at 1.5 years and at 4 years for IN, increased more than 2-fold the risk of belonging to the high trajectory, with incremental contributions (Odds Ratios = 2.5-4.5) at subsequent ages. Quantitative genetic analyses showed that genetic contributions underlying preschool PRs accounted for up to a quarter and a third of the heritability of later HI and IN, respectively. Genes underlying 1.5-year HI and 4-year IN contributed to 6 of 8 later HI and IN time-points and largely explained the corresponding phenotypic correlations. Results provide phenotypic and genetic evidence that preschool parent reports of HI and IN are valid means to predict developmental risk of ADHD.

The intergenerational continuity of alcohol use in a population sample.

INTRODUCTION: Research shows that parental alcohol use predicts youths' alcohol use, but this intergenerational continuity may vary across countries, and little is known about its moderators. This study examined for the first time the intergenerational continuity in alcohol use in a population sample of families in Canada, and tested whether it varied by youths' sex, family income, or family structure. METHODS: We used prospective longitudinal data on 1632 families from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development (QLSCD), a representative sample from the province of Quebec, Canada. Youths self-reported alcohol use and binge drinking frequency at seven timepoints from early adolescence to early adulthood. Predictors were mothers' and fathers' self-reported alcohol use from youths' infancy through age 13, and mother-reported socioeconomic variables. RESULTS: We identified three trajectories of alcohol use from ages 13 to 21 years: normative, late-onset and early-onset. Maternal alcohol use increased the youths' risk of following the early-onset trajectory of alcohol use, while both parents' alcohol use decreased the odds of the youths following the late-onset trajectory, compared to the normative trajectory. Insufficient family income increased youths' risk of following either the early-onset or late-onset trajectories. Mothers' and fathers' alcohol use did not interact in predicting youths' trajectory, and we found no moderating effects of the youths' sex, insufficient income, or years as a single-parent family. CONCLUSION: The results suggest modest intergenerational continuity of alcohol use in Quebec families which may be used, with income insufficiency, to help identify at-risk children for targeted interventions.

Reconsidering the failure model: Using a genetically controlled design to assess the spread of problems from reactive aggression to internalizing symptoms through peer rejection across the primary school years.

According to the failure model (Patterson & Capaldi, 1990), peer rejection is the intermediary link between problem behaviors and internalizing symptoms. The present study tested the model with 464 monozygotic and same-sex dizygotic twin pairs (234 female, 230 male dyads). Teacher-reported reactive aggression and internalizing symptoms, and peer-reported peer rejection were collected at ages 6, 7, and 10 (from 2001 to 2008). Support for the failure model emerged in conventional non-genetically controlled analyses, but not twin-difference score analyses (which remove shared environmental and genetic contributions). Univariate biometric models attributed minimal variance in failure model variables to shared environmental factors, suggesting that genetic factors play an important unacknowledged role in developmental pathways historically ascribed to nonshared experiences in the failure model.

Emotion Dysregulation Is Associated With Increased Problem Cannabis Use Among Emerging Adults During COVID-19.

OBJECTIVE: Emerging adulthood (18-25 years) is associated with peak prevalence of cannabis use. Although population-based longitudinal studies have found little change in cannabis use among emerging adults during COVID-19, research examining changes among vulnerable subgroups is lacking. The present study examined the association between emotion dysregulation at 23 years and change in cannabis use frequency and problem cannabis use among a large sample of emerging adults, from before to during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHOD: Longitudinal data were analyzed from 1,226 emerging adults (59% female; n = 738 reported cannabis use) who completed online surveys before the pandemic (2019; age 21) and 1 year into COVID-19 (2021; age 23) as part of the Québec Longitudinal Study of Child Development. RESULTS: There was no significant overall within-person change in cannabis use outcomes during COVID-19 among the emerging adult sample. However, emotional clarity (a dimension of emotion dysregulation) at 23 years significantly moderated change in problem cannabis use during COVID-19. Namely, low emotional clarity at 23 years was associated with increased problem cannabis use (B = 0.79, 95% CI [0.23, 1.34]), whereas high emotional clarity at 23 years was associated with decreased problem cannabis use (B = -0.68, 95% CI [-1.27, -0.09]) during COVID-19, among men only. CONCLUSIONS: Findings highlight the need to consider changes in cannabis use during COVID-19 among emerging adults with elevated emotion dysregulation (and particularly, low emotional clarity among men) and reiterate the need for supports and targeted interventions to reduce cannabis use and decrease associated harms as society emerges from COVID-19.

Concurrent and prospective associations between family socioeconomic status, social support and salivary diurnal and hair cortisol in adolescence.

BACKGROUND: Exposure to socioeconomic adversity is hypothesized to impact hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity and cortisol secretion, but existing evidence is inconsistent. Yet, few studies have investigated this association using a developmental approach that considers potential protective contextual factors. This study examined the role of stability and changes in family socioeconomic status (SES) in the prediction of multiple cortisol indicators and tested whether social support moderated these associations. METHODS: Participants were part of a population-based sample of twin pairs recruited at birth. Family SES was assessed in early childhood (ages 0-5) and mid-adolescence (age 14). Social support was assessed at ages 14 and 19. Diurnal cortisol (n = 569) was measured at age 14 at awakening, 30 min later, in the afternoon and evening over four non-consecutive days. Hair cortisol concentration (HCC, n = 704) was measured at age 19. All data were collected before the pandemic and multilevel regression models were conducted to account for the nested data structure. RESULTS: Youth exposed to lower family SES levels in childhood and mid-adolescence had a flatter diurnal slope and higher HCC compared with those who experienced upward socioeconomic mobility in mid-adolescence. Contrastingly, mid-adolescence SES showed no association with the diurnal slope or HCC for youth from higher-SES households in early childhood. Moreover, youth raised in higher-SES families in early childhood had a higher CAR in mid-adolescence if they reported greater social support in mid-adolescence. Social support also moderated the SES-cortisol association in mid-adolescence, with higher-SES youth showing higher awakening cortisol secretion when reporting more social support. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support the hypothesis that early socioeconomic adversity sensitizes HPA axis activity to later socioeconomic disadvantage, which may bear consequences for socioemotional and behavioral functioning.

Does early child negative emotionality moderate the association between maternal stimulation and academic readiness and achievement?

We investigated whether child temperament (negative emotionality, 5 months) moderated the association between maternal stimulation (5 months-2½ years) and academic readiness and achievement (vocabulary, mathematics, and reading). We applied structural equation modeling to the data from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development (N = 1121-1448; mostly Whites; 47% girls). Compared to children with low negative emotionality, those with high negative emotionality had higher levels of academic readiness (6 years) and mathematics achievement (7 years) when exposed to high levels of maternal stimulation (ß = 3.17, p < .01 and ß = 2.91, p < .01, respectively). The results support the differential susceptibility model whereby highly emotionally negative children were more susceptible to the influences of low and high levels of maternal stimulation in academic readiness and mathematics achievement's developments.

Prospective associations between ADHD symptoms and physical conditions from early childhood to adolescence: a population-based longitudinal study.

BACKGROUND: The co-occurrence between attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and physical conditions is frequent but often goes unrecognised. Most available evidence on the links between ADHD and physical conditions relies on cross-sectional studies. Understanding temporal sequences of associations is key to inform appropriate treatment and preventive strategies. We aimed to assess possible longitudinal associations between ADHD symptoms and a broad range of physical conditions, adjusting for several confounding factors. METHODS: Participants came from the population-based Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development. Participants were selected from the Quebec Birth Registry, recruited between October, 1997, and July, 1998, from the province of Quebec, Canada, and followed up in early childhood (n=2120; age 5 months-5 years), middle childhood (n=1750; age 6-12 years), and adolescence (n=1573; age 13-17 years). Main outcome measures included ADHD symptom severity and physical conditions, which were reported by the person most knowledgeable of the child in early childhood, by teachers in middle childhood, and self-reported in adolescence. Multivariable regression analyses were conducted to study the prospective associations between ADHD symptoms and later physical conditions, and physical conditions and later ADHD symptoms, adjusting for multiple confounders. FINDINGS: We found several prospective associations between ADHD symptoms and physical conditions including asthma, high BMI (≥1 SD above the mean), epilepsy, dental caries, acute infections, injuries, and sleep problems. After adjusting for key confounding factors, several associations remained: ADHD symptoms in early childhood were associated with later high BMI during middle childhood (odds ratio [OR] 1·19 [95% CI 1·05-1·35]) and adolescence (OR 1·14 [1·01-1·29]), and with unintentional injuries during adolescence (OR 1·10 [1·01-1·21]). ADHD symptoms in middle childhood were significantly associated with later dental caries during adolescence (OR 1·10 [1·01-1·20]). Unintentional injuries in early childhood were associated with later ADHD symptoms in middle childhood (standardised mean difference [SMD] 0·15 [0·05-0·24]) and adolescence (SMD 0·13 [0·04-0·23]), and restless legs syndrome symptoms in middle childhood were associated with later ADHD symptoms in adolescence (SMD 0·15 [0·05-0·25]). INTERPRETATION: Our results point to the need to carefully monitor children with ADHD in early or middle childhood for several physical conditions, and to monitor children with particular physical conditions for ADHD symptoms. Our study also calls for policies to promote more integrated health-care systems for children with complex mental and physical needs, bridging the current gap between mental and physical health-care services. FUNDING: Québec Government's Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, and Ministry of Family Affairs; The Lucie and André Chagnon Foundation; the Robert-Sauvé Research Institute of Health and Safety at Work; the Québec Statistics Institute; the Fonds de Recherche du Québec-Santé; the Fonds de Recherche du Québec-Societé et Culture; Canada's Social Science and Humanities Research Council; the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Sainte-Justine Research Center; and the French National Research Agency. TRANSLATION: For the French translation of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.

Childhood hyperactivity, eating behaviours, and executive functions: Their association with the development of eating-disorder symptoms in adolescence.

BACKGROUND: Cross-sectional studies have shown that hyperactivity and impaired executive functioning are associated with symptoms of eating disorders in adolescence and adulthood. Whether hyperactivity and executive functions in early life can prospectively predict the emergence of eating disorder symptoms in adolescence remains unknown. The present study relies on a longitudinal design to investigate how hyperactivity at age 3, eating behaviours at age 3.5 and cognition at ages 3-6 were associated with the development of eating-disorder symptoms from 12 to 20 years old. METHODS: Using archival data collected since 1997 from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development cohort (N = 2, 223), we used Latent Curve Models to analyse predictors of youth's trajectories of eating-disorder symptoms at four timepoints. RESULTS: A quadratic (curvilinear) trajectory of eating-disorder symptoms was found to be most representative of the data. Higher hyperactivity at age 3 was associated with higher levels of eating-disorder symptoms at age 12, and this association was partially mediated by higher levels of overeating and cognitive inflexibility in childhood. Cognitive inflexibility in childhood also mediated the association between hyperactivity at age 3 and increases in eating-disorder symptoms during adolescence. Furthermore, working memory was indirectly related to eating-disorder symptoms via the mediational role of cognitive flexibility. CONCLUSIONS: Hyperactivity, overeating, cognitive inflexibility, and working memory early in life might precede the onset of eating-disorder symptoms in adolescence. Early behavioural and cognitive screening may help to identify children who are most at risk for eating disorders. This, in turn, could guide preventive interventions.

Eating-disorder symptoms, such as body image issues, maladaptive behaviors, and preoccupation with weight, tend to develop in adolescence. However, it is unclear whether early childhood characteristics or behaviours could be indicators of a risk of developing eating-disorder symptoms later. The current study examined the possible link between certain early behaviours (e.g., hyperactivity, childhood eating), early cognitive processes, and eating-disorder symptoms development in a community cohort followed from birth. Results showed that being hyperactive in early childhood predicts higher levels of eating-disorder symptoms at the beginning of adolescence (age 15), and that this is partially explained by a link between being hyperactive, being more rigid in our ways of thinking, and engaging in overeating behaviours. Additionally, more early rigid ways of thinking predicted the increase in symptoms over time. Our results demonstrate possible behaviours and characteristics that could be used to identify children at risk of eating disorders, which in future research could potentially help improve our preventive interventions.

Experiencing food insecurity in childhood: influences on eating habits and body weight in young adulthood.

OBJECTIVE: To examine how food insecurity in childhood up to adolescence relates to eating habits and weight status in young adulthood. DESIGN: A longitudinal study design was used to derive trajectories of household food insecurity from age 4·5 to 13 years. Multivariable linear and logistical regression analyses were performed to model associations between being at high risk of food insecurity from age 4·5 to 13 years and both dietary and weight outcomes at age 22 years. SETTING: A birth cohort study conducted in the Province of Quebec, Canada. PARTICIPANTS: In total, 698 young adults participating in the Québec Longitudinal Study of Child Development. RESULTS: After adjusting for sex, maternal education and immigrant status, household income and type of family, being at high risk (compared with low risk) of food insecurity in childhood up to adolescence was associated with consuming higher quantities of sugar-sweetened beverages (ßadj: 0·64; 95 % CI (0·27, 1·00)), non-whole-grain cereal products (ßadj: 0·32; 95 % CI (0·07, 0·56)) and processed meat (ßadj: 0·14; 95 % CI (0·02, 0·25)), with skipping breakfast (ORadj: 1·97; 95 % CI (1·08, 3·53)), with eating meals prepared out of home (ORadj: 3·38; 95 % CI (1·52, 9·02)), with experiencing food insecurity (ORadj: 3·03; 95 % CI (1·91, 4·76)) and with being obese (ORadj: 2·01; 95 % CI (1·12, 3·64)), once reaching young adulthood. CONCLUSION: Growing up in families experiencing food insecurity may negatively influence eating habits and weight status later in life. Our findings reinforce the importance of public health policies and programmes tackling poverty and food insecurity, particularly for families with young children.

Genetic associations with parental investment from conception to wealth inheritance in six cohorts.

Genetic inheritance is not the only way parents' genes may affect children. It is also possible that parents' genes are associated with investments into children's development. We examined evidence for links between parental genetics and parental investments, from the prenatal period through to adulthood, using data from six population-based cohorts in the UK, US and New Zealand, together totalling 36,566 parents. Our findings revealed associations between parental genetics-summarized in a genome-wide polygenic score-and parental behaviour across development, from smoking in pregnancy, breastfeeding in infancy, parenting in childhood and adolescence, to leaving a wealth inheritance to adult children. Effect sizes tended to be small at any given time point, ranging from RR = 1.12 (95% confidence interval (95%CI) 1.09, 1.15) to RR = 0.76 (95%CI 0.72, 0.80) during the prenatal period and infancy; ß = 0.07 (95%CI 0.04, 0.11) to ß = 0.29 (95%CI 0.27, 0.32) in childhood and adolescence, and RR = 1.04 (95%CI 1.01, 1.06) to RR = 1.11 (95%CI 1.07, 1.15) in adulthood. There was evidence for accumulating effects across development, ranging from ß = 0.15 (95%CI 0.11, 0.18) to ß = 0.23 (95%CI 0.16, 0.29) depending on cohort. Our findings are consistent with the interpretation that parents pass on advantages to offspring not only via direct genetic transmission or purely environmental paths, but also via genetic associations with parental investment from conception to wealth inheritance.

Prenatal and concurrent blood mercury concentrations and associations with IQ in canadian preschool children.

BACKGROUND: Prenatal and childhood mercury (Hg) exposures have been associated with negative impacts on child neurodevelopment. It is unclear if associations persist at the low Hg exposures typical in Western countries. OBJECTIVE: To examine associations between prenatal/childhood blood Hg concentrations and child IQ in Canadian male and female children while considering the potential modifying role of prenatal fish consumption. METHODS: We analyzed data from the Maternal-Infant Research on Environmental Chemicals study. Hg was measured in first trimester (n = 527), cord (n = 430), and child (at 3-4 years of age, n = 355) blood and examined sex-stratified associations between blood Hg and children's Full Scale IQ (FSIQ), Verbal IQ (VIQ), Performance IQ (PIQ), and General Language Composite (GLC) scores (assessed with WPPSI-III). Prenatal Hg analyses were further stratified by prenatal fish consumption (low: 0-2, moderate: 3-7, or high: ≥8 times/month). RESULTS: Higher cord blood Hg concentrations were associated with lower PIQ (ß = -3.27; 95%CI: 6.44, -0.09) in male children with the lowest prenatal fish consumption. Progressively stronger positive associations were observed with PIQ in male children for moderate (ß = 1.08; 95%CI: 0.10, 2.26) and high (ß = 3.07; 95%CI: 1.95, 4.19) prenatal fish consumption. Cord blood Hg concentrations were positively associated with female children's FSIQ (ß = 1.29; 95% CI: 0.77, 1.81) and PIQ (ß = 2.01; 95% CI: 1.19, 2.83); however, when stratified only in the highest fish consumption subgroup. Among female children, higher child blood Hg concentrations were associated with an approximately 1-point increase in FSIQ, VIQ, and GLC. CONCLUSIONS: Prenatal exposure to low levels of Hg was associated with lower PIQ scores in male children with low prenatal fish intake. Positive associations between cord and child blood Hg concentrations and IQ were primarily observed in female children and may be due to beneficial effects of prenatal fish intake.

Childhood Overeating and Disordered Eating From Early Adolescence to Young Adulthood: A Longitudinal Study on the Mediating Role of BMI, Victimization and Desire for Thinness.

Eating disorders have early origins, and there could be a continuum between childhood eating behaviors, such as overeating, and long-term disordered eating, but this remains to be shown. BMI, desire for thinness and peer victimization could influence this continuum, but their interactions are unknown. To fill this gap, the study used data from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development (N = 1511; 52% girls), in which 30.9% of youth presented a trajectory associated with high disordered eating from 12 to 20 years. The results support an indirect association between overeating at age 5 and disordered eating trajectories, with different mediation processes observed between boys and girls. The findings underscore the importance of promoting healthy body images and eating behaviors among youths.

Adolescent anxiety and pain problems: A joint, genome-wide investigation and pathway-based analysis.

Both common pain and anxiety problems are widespread, debilitating and often begin in childhood-adolescence. Twin studies indicate that this co-occurrence is likely due to shared elements of risk, rather than reciprocal causation. A joint genome-wide investigation and pathway/network-based analysis of adolescent anxiety and pain problems can identify genetic pathways that subserve shared etiopathogenetic mechanisms. Pathway-based analyses were performed in the independent samples of: The Quebec Newborn Twin Study (QNTS; 246 twin pairs and 321 parents), the Longitudinal Study of Child Development in Quebec (QLSCD; n = 754), and in the combined QNTS and QLSCD sample. Multiple suggestive associations (p<1×10-5), and several enriched pathways were found after FDR correction for both phenotypes in the QNTS; many nominally-significant enriched pathways overlapped between pain problems and anxiety symptoms (uncorrected p<0.05) and yielded results consistent with previous studies of pain or anxiety. The QLSCD and the combined QNTS and QLSCD sample yielded similar findings. We replicated an association between the pathway involved in the regulation of myotube differentiation (GO:0010830) and both pain and anxiety problems in the QLSDC and the combined QNTS and QLSCD sample. Although limited by sample size and thus power, these data provide an initial support to conjoint molecular investigations of adolescent pain and anxiety problems. Understanding the etiology underlying pain and anxiety co-occurrence in this age range is relevant to address the nature of comorbidity and its developmental pathways, and shape intervention. The replication across samples implies that these effects are reliable and possess external validity.

Depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation in a population-based cohort of young adults before and during the first 12 months of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada.

OBJECTIVES: Findings from a birth cohort study indicated that the mental health of young adults had not worsened during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, compared to 2018. This study examined longitudinal changes in mental health between March 2018 and June 2021 in the context of protracted public health mitigation measures about 12 months after the onset of the pandemic. METHODS: Participants from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development (n = 2120 at inception; n = 1461 during the COVID-19 pandemic), a population-based cohort of individuals born in 1997/1998, reported on their depressive and anxiety symptoms as well as suicidal ideation prior to the pandemic in 2018 (age 20), and during the pandemic in the summer of 2020 (age 22) and spring of 2021 (age 23). RESULTS: Depressive (Cohen's d = 0.15 [95% CI: 0.09 to 0.20]) and anxiety (Cohen's d = 0.33 [95% CI: 0.27 to 0.39]) symptoms increased between 2018 and 2021 for both males and females, but suicidal ideation did not change. There was also a significant increase in moderate to severe depressive (31.7% to 36.3%) and anxiety (14.7% to 24.8%) symptoms from 2018 to 2021. Youth who were students, those who were experiencing financial stress, food insecurity, and loneliness, and those without pre-existing poor mental health experienced the largest increase in depressive and anxiety symptoms over time. CONCLUSION: These findings highlight the mental health burden experienced by young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the need for preventive services and continued longitudinal follow-ups of these youths.

RéSUMé: OBJECTIFS: Les résultats d'une étude de cohorte de naissance ont indiqué que la santé mentale des jeunes adultes ne s'était pas détériorée au cours de la première vague de la pandémie de la COVID-19, en comparaison à 2018. La présente étude examine maintenant les changements longitudinaux de la santé mentale entre mars 2018 et juin 2021, dans le contexte de mesures prolongées de santé publique, environ 12 mois après le début de la pandémie. MéTHODES: Les participants de l'Étude longitudinale du développement des enfants du Québec (n = 2120 à la création; n = 1461 pendant la pandémie de COVID-19), une cohorte basée sur la population de personnes nées en 1997­98, ont rapporté leurs symptômes de dépression et d'anxiété ainsi que leurs idéations suicidaires avant la pandémie en 2018 (20 ans), pendant la pandémie à l'été 2020 (22 ans) ainsi qu'au printemps 2021 (23 ans). RéSULTATS: Les symptômes de dépression (d de Cohen = 0,15 [95% IC: 0,09 à 0,20]) et d'anxiété (d de Cohen = 0,33 [95% IC: 0,27 à 0,39]) ont augmenté entre 2018 et 2021 chez les hommes et les femmes, mais les idéations suicidaires n'ont pas changé. Une augmentation significative des symptômes dépressifs modérés à sévères (31,7 % à 36,3 %) et des symptômes d'anxiété (14,7 % à 24,8 %) a également été observée entre 2018 et 2021. Les jeunes qui étaient étudiants, ceux qui rapportaient un stress financier, de l'insécurité alimentaire et de la solitude, ainsi que ceux qui avaient une bonne santé mentale en prépandémie, ont connu la plus forte augmentation des symptômes de dépression et d'anxiété au fil du temps. CONCLUSION: Ces résultats mettent en évidence l'impact de la pandémie de la COVID-19 sur la santé mentale des jeunes adultes, et soulignent la nécessité de mettre en place des services de prévention et de poursuivre le suivi longitudinal de ces jeunes.

Rates of synchronous advanced neoplasia and colorectal cancer in patients with colonic serrated lesions.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Serrated lesions (SL) have been associated with significant risks of developing colorectal cancer (CRC). Data on synchronous findings after SL detection during colonoscopy is limited. Study aim was to evaluate the rate of synchronous advanced neoplasia (S-AN) and synchronous CRC (S-CRC) in colonoscopies where SLs were detected. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study of screening aged patients 45-74year with colorectal SL (sessile serrated polyp [SSP] or traditional serrated adenoma [TSA]) detected during an elective colonoscopy. Primary outcome was risk of S-AN in patients with SL. Secondary outcomes included risk of S-AN or S-CRC stratified by SL characteristics. RESULTS: The study included 1262 patients with 1649 SLs (1214 with SSPs and 48 with TSAs). 47.2% were female and 22.9% of exams were screening colonoscopies, 48.2% surveillance, 28.9% diagnostic. The overall rates of S-AN and S-CRC were 15.1% and 1.3%, respectively. Presence of SSPs ≥ 10 mm was associated with higher rates of S-AN, (18.1 vs. 12.2%, Odds-Ratio [OR] = 1.61 [95% Confidence Interval [CI] 1.17-2.23], p = 0.004). SSP dysplasia was predictive of S-AN, (30.3 vs 14.1%, OR = 2.68 [95%CI 1.24-5.78], p = 0.012) but not S-CRC. SSP number (≥ 3) and location (proximal) were not predictors of S-AN or S-CRC. CONCLUSION: Patients with SLs are at high-risk of S-AN and S-CRC. Findings of SSPs ≥ 10 mm and SSP dysplasia are associated with high-risk of S-AN. Endoscopists should exercise heightened vigilance for synchronous findings when SLs are detected, especially SSPs ≥ 10 mm or when bowel preparation is suboptimal. Studies contrasting synchronous risk of other polyp types are needed to confirm these results.