On executive functioning and childcare: The moderating role of parent-child interactions.

Childcare services are widely used by families and thereby exert an important influence on many young children. Yet, little research has examined whether childcare may impact the development of child executive functioning (EF), one of the pillars of cognitive development in early childhood. Furthermore, despite persisting hypotheses that childcare may be particularly beneficial for children who have less access to optimal developmental resources at home, research has yet to address the possibility that putative associations between childcare and EF may vary as a function of family factors. Among a sample of 180 mostly White middle-class families (91 girls), we examined if childcare participation in infancy was related to two aspects of EF (Delay and Conflict) at 3 years, and whether two aspects of maternal parenting behavior (sensitivity and autonomy support) moderated these associations. The results showed positive associations between participation in group-based childcare and Delay EF specifically among children of relatively less autonomy-supportive mothers. These findings suggest that out-of-home childcare services may play a protective role for children exposed to parenting that is less conducive to their executive development. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Little research has considered effects of childcare in infancy on executive functioning (EF). Long-standing hypothesis that childcare is more beneficial for children exposed to less sensitive and supportive parenting. We test interactions between maternal parenting and childcare participation in infancy in relation to EF at age 3 years. We find positive associations between participation in group-based childcare and Delay EF specifically among children of relatively less autonomy-supportive mothers.

Revisiting the childcare-attachment question: under what conditions is childcare participation associated with mother-child attachment security?

Decades have passed since the controversy regarding the putative risks of childcare for mother-child attachment broke out. Yet, some uncertainty remains, as relevant studies have produced inconsistent evidence. Some have proposed that those conflicting findings may be due to the fact that the effects of childcare are conditioned on parenting. Accordingly, this study examined whether relations between childcare participation and mother-child attachment vary according to maternal sensitivity and autonomy support. In this sample of 236 mother-child dyads, there was no indication of main effects of childcare participation on attachment. There were, however, some interactive effects, such that the children who showed the least secure attachment behaviors were those who did not attend childcare and had either less sensitive or less autonomy-supportive mothers. The findings suggest that the effects of childcare on mother-child attachment are best understood in light of the parenting children receive at home.

Childhood behavior problems and adverse economic outcomes: a 30-year population-based study of intergenerational income mobility.

BACKGROUND: The objectives of this study were to (a) assess the associations between early behavioral problems and intergenerational income mobility (i.e., the degree to which income status is transmitted from one generation to the next), (b) verify whether these associations are moderated by child sex, and (c) explore indirect effects of early behavioral problems on income mobility via high school graduation. METHODS: Data were drawn from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Kindergarten Children (n = 3,020; 49.17% girls). Participants were followed from age 6 to 37 years. Measures included parents' and teachers' ratings of behavioral problems at age 6 years as well as participants' (ages 30-35 years) and their parents' (when participants were aged 10-19 years) income data obtained from tax return records. Regression models were used to predict upward and downward mobility (i.e., increased or decreased income status from one generation to the next) from attention-deficit/hyperactivity problems, conduct/opposition problems, depression/anxiety problems, prosociality, and the quality of children's relationship with their caregiver. Two-way interaction effects between behavioral problems and child sex were examined and indirect effect models including high school graduation as a mediator of these associations were conducted. RESULTS: Despite their higher educational attainment, females had lower incomes and experienced lower upward (but higher downward) income mobility than males. For both females and males, higher levels of attention-deficit/hyperactivity and conduct/opposition problems were associated with decreased odds of upward mobility, whereas higher levels of attention-deficit/hyperactivity were associated with increased odds of downward mobility. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity problems, conduct/opposition problems as well as low prosociality were associated with lower educational attainment (no high school diploma), which in turn was associated with increased odds of downward mobility. CONCLUSIONS: Results highlight the importance of providing intensive support to children with early behavioral problems as a means of improving educational attainment and intergenerational income mobility.

Mental health of Canadian youth: A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies examining changes in depression, anxiety, and suicide-related outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVES: This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to describe Canadian youth mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on changes in anxiety and depressive symptoms and suicidality. METHODS: We searched four databases up to February 2023 for longitudinal or repeated cross-sectional studies reporting on changes in depressive and anxiety symptoms, suicidality, or related services utilization among young people under 25 years old residing in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic. Random-effects meta-analyses were performed for studies comparing depressive and anxiety symptoms from before to during the first, second, and third COVID-19 waves (up to June 2021), and between COVID-19 waves. Other studies were described narratively. Risk of bias was assessed using an adapted Joanna Briggs Institute Checklist. SYNTHESIS: Of the 7916 records screened, 35 articles met inclusion criteria for this review. Included studies were highly heterogeneous in design, population, and type of change investigated, and many had a high risk of bias. The meta-analyses found that depressive symptoms worsened minimally from pre-pandemic to wave 1 but returned to pre-pandemic levels by wave 2. Anxiety symptoms were broadly comparable from pre-pandemic to waves 1 and 2 but worsened from waves 1 to 3 and from pre-pandemic to wave 1 for girls. The narrative review included several studies that provided inconclusive evidence of increases in services utilization. CONCLUSION: The current evidence is limited and highly heterogeneous, making it insufficient to draw definitive conclusions regarding the short- to medium-term impact of the pandemic on youth mental health in Canada. Obtaining better mental health surveillance among Canadian youth is imperative.

RéSUMé: OBJECTIFS: Cette revue systématique et méta-analyse vise à décrire la santé mentale des jeunes Canadiens pendant la pandémie de COVID-19 en ce qui concerne les changements dans les symptômes d'anxiété et de dépression et la suicidalité. MéTHODES: Nous avons cherché dans quatre bases de données, jusqu'en février 2023, des études longitudinales ou transversales répétées portant sur l'évolution des symptômes dépressifs et anxieux, de la suicidalité ou de l'utilisation des services en santé mentale chez les jeunes de moins de 25 ans résidant au Canada pendant la pandémie de COVID-19. Des méta-analyses à effets aléatoires ont été réalisées pour les études comparant les symptômes dépressifs et anxieux avant et pendant les première, deuxième et troisième vagues du COVID-19 (jusqu'en juin 2021), ainsi qu'entre les vagues de COVID-19. Les autres études ont été décrites de manière narrative. Le risque de biais a été évalué à l'aide d'une liste de contrôle adaptée du Joanna Briggs Institute. SYNTHèSE: Sur les 7 916 dossiers examinés, 35 articles répondaient aux critères d'inclusion de la présente étude. Les études retenues sont très hétérogènes en termes de conception, de population et de type de changement étudié, et un grand nombre d'entre elles présentent un risque élevé de biais. Les méta-analyses révèlent que les symptômes dépressifs se sont légèrement aggravés entre la période prépandémique et la première vague, mais qu'ils sont revenus aux niveaux prépandémiques lors de la deuxième vague. Les symptômes d'anxiété sont globalement comparables entre la période prépandémique et les vagues 1 et 2, mais se sont aggravés entre les vagues 1 et 3 et entre la période prépandémique et la vague 1 pour les filles. La revue narrative porte sur plusieurs études qui ont fourni des preuves non concluantes de l'augmentation de l'utilisation des services en santé mentale. CONCLUSION: Les données actuelles sont limitées et très hétérogènes, ce qui ne permet pas de tirer des conclusions définitives quant à l'impact à court et moyen terme de la pandémie sur la santé mentale des jeunes au Canada. Il est impératif d'améliorer la surveillance de la santé mentale des jeunes Canadiens.

Association of childhood externalizing, internalizing, comorbid problems with criminal convictions by early adulthood.

Childhood externalizing problems have been linked with adult criminality. However, little is known about criminal outcomes among children with comorbid externalizing and internalizing problems. We examined the associations between profiles of behavioral problems during childhood (i.e., externalizing, internalizing, and comorbid) and criminality by early adulthood. Participants were N = 3017 children from the population-based Quebec Longitudinal Study of Kindergarten Children followed up from age 6-25. Multitrajectory modeling of teacher-rated externalizing and internalizing problems from age 6-12 years identified four distinct profiles: no/low, externalizing, internalizing, and comorbid problems. Juvenile (age 13-17) and adult (age 18-25) criminal convictions were extracted from official records. Compared to children in the no/low profile, those in the externalizing and comorbid profiles were at higher risk of having a criminal conviction, while no association was found for children in the internalizing profile. Children with comorbid externalizing and internalizing problems were most at risk of having a criminal conviction by adulthood, with a significantly higher risk when compared to children with externalizing or internalizing problems only. Similar results were found when violent and non-violent crimes were investigated separately. Specific interventions targeting early comorbid behavioral problems could reduce long-term criminality.

Mechanisms and pathways linking kindergarten behavior problems with mid-life employment earnings for males from low-income neighborhoods.

Childhood behavior problems are associated with reduced labor market participation and lower earnings in adulthood, but little is known about the pathways and mechanisms that explain these associations. Drawing on a 33-year prospective birth cohort of White males from low-income backgrounds (n = 1040), we conducted a path analysis linking participants' teacher-rated behavior problems at age 6 years-that is, inattention, hyperactivity, aggression-opposition, and low prosociality-to employment earnings at age 35-39 years obtained from tax records. We examined three psychosocial mediators at age 11-12 years (academic, behavioral, social) and two mediators at age 25 years (non-high school graduation, criminal convictions). Our findings support the notion that multiple psychosocial pathways-especially low education attainment-link kindergarten behavior problems to lower employment earnings decades later.

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.

A Parent-child yoga intervention for reducing attention deficits in children with congenital heart disease: the Yoga for Little Hearts Feasibility Study Protocol.

INTRODUCTION: Preschoolers and school-aged children with congenital heart disease (CHD) are at higher risk of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) compared with the general population. To this day, no randomised controlled trial (RCT) aiming to improve attention has been conducted in young children with CHD. There is emerging evidence indicating that parent-child yoga interventions improve attention and reduce ADHD symptoms in both typically developing and clinical populations. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This is a single-blind, two-centre, two-arm trial during which 24 children with CHD and their parents will be randomly assigned to (1) a parent-child yoga intervention in addition to standard clinical care or (2) standard clinical care alone. All participants will undergo standardised assessments: (1) at baseline, (2) immediately post-treatment and (3) 6 months post-treatment. Descriptive statistics will be used to estimate the feasibility and neurodevelopmental outcomes. This feasibility study will evaluate: (1) recruitment capacity; (2) retention, drop-out and withdrawal rates during the yoga programme and at the 6-month follow-up; (3) adherence to the intervention; (4) acceptability of the randomisation process by families; (5) heterogeneity in the delivery of the intervention between instructors and use of home-based exercises between participants; (6) proportion of missing data in the neurodevelopmental assessments and (7) SD of primary outcomes of the full RCT in order to determine the future appropriate sample size. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval has been obtained by the Research Ethics Board of the Sainte-Justine University Hospital. The findings will be disseminated in peer-reviewed journals and conferences and presented to the Canadian paediatric grand round meetings. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT05997680.

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.

Perinatal Trajectories of Maternal Depressive Symptoms in Prospective, Community-Based Cohorts Across 3 Continents.

Importance: Depressive symptoms during pregnancy influence the development and health of the offspring, underscoring the need for timely intervention. However, the course of depressive symptoms across the perinatal period remains unclear, thus complicating screening and referral guidelines. Objective: To examine the course and stability of depressive symptoms across the perinatal period in multiple, ethnically diverse independent observational cohorts. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study included self-reported depressive symptoms at multiple time points from 7 prospective cohorts spanning 3 continents (United Kingdom: Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children from 1991 to 1995; Canada: Maternal Adversity, Vulnerability and Neurodevelopment from 2003 to 2007; Montreal Antenatal Well-being Study from 2019 to 2022; Alberta Pregnancy Outcomes and Nutrition from 2009 to 2014; and Singapore: Growing Up in Singapore Toward Healthy Outcomes from 2009 to 2013; Singapore Preconception Study of Long-Term Maternal and Child Outcomes from 2015 to 2019; and Mapping Antenatal Maternal Stress from 2019 to 2022). Participants were recruited either during preconception or pregnancy and observed into the postnatal period. All data from each cohort were analyzed from July 2022 to April 2023. Main Outcomes and Measures: Self-reported depressive symptoms from pregnancy to 2 years following childbirth using either the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale or the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression were analyzed independently within each cohort using item response theory (IRT) techniques. K-means clustering was used to identify groups of participants with similar trajectories. Results: A total of 11 563 pregnant women (mean [SD] age, 29 [5] years; 569 [4.9%] East Asian women; 304 [2.6%] Southeast Asian women; 10 133 [87.6%] White women) self-reported depressive symptoms from pregnancy to 2 years following childbirth. Analytic methods from Item Response Theory identified 3 groups of mothers based on depressive symptoms: low, mild, and high levels in each of the 7 cohorts. Mothers within and across all cohorts had stable trajectories of maternal depressive symptoms from pregnancy onwards. Mothers with clinical levels of depressive symptoms likewise showed stable trajectories from pregnancy into the postnatal period. Conclusions and Relevance: In this study, trajectories of depressive symptoms remained stable from pregnancy across the perinatal period, a finding that conflicts with a continuing emphasis on postpartum or postnatal onset of depression that persists in some health policy guidelines. Interventions and public health initiatives should focus on reducing depressive symptoms during pregnancy in addition to following birth.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms and lifetime use of psychoactive substances among French university students: A cross-sectional study.

In a cross sectional study of 13,837 university students, we aimed to explore the association between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms and lifetime psychoactive substance use (LPSU) on a wide range of illicit substances. Logistic and Hurdel multivariable regressions were used. ADHD symptoms were significantly associated with the lifetime use of ketamine, magic mushrooms, poppers, and nine other psychoactive substances. There was an association between ADHD symptoms and both LPSU and truncated count of lifetime psychoactive substance use. High levels of ADHD symptoms are associated with the use of a large variety and multiple LPSU.

Association between ADHD symptoms and illicit stimulants use following 1 year among French university students of the i-Share cohort.

PURPOSE: Although attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been associated with illicit stimulants use, less is known about their prospective association in university students. We aimed to examine the association between ADHD symptoms at inclusion and illicit stimulants use following 1 year among university students. METHODS: The i-Share cohort recruited French students from February 2013 to July 2020. The study included 4270 participants. The Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS) was used to evaluate ADHD symptoms at inclusion. Illicit stimulants use was assessed at inclusion and 1 year after inclusion. Multivariable logistic regressions were conducted to assess the association between ADHD symptoms at inclusion and illicit stimulants use following 1 year. RESULTS: High levels of ADHD symptoms at inclusion were associated with a greater probability of illicit stimulants use following 1 year (adjusted OR: 2.42 (1.51-3.8)). The adjusted odds ratio was 2.7 (1.08-7.84) among participants who had used illicit stimulant at least once (continuation) and 2.25 (1.04-4.37) among participants who had never used illicit stimulants at inclusion (initiation). CONCLUSION: High levels of ADHD symptoms are a feature that may promote both initiation and continuation of illicit stimulants use among university students. Our findings suggest that university students with high levels of ADHD symptoms may benefit from screening to help identify those at risk of illicit stimulants use.

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.

Adolescents and Social Media: Longitudinal Links Between Types of Use, Problematic Use and Internalizing Symptoms.

Studies examining the associations between adolescent social media use and depression/anxiety symptoms show inconsistent results and do not elucidate the direction of associations. Differences in how studies operationalize social media use and consider potential moderating effects of sex and extraversion could contribute to inconsistencies. A distinction has been made between three types of social media use: passive, active and problematic. This study examined longitudinal associations between these types of adolescents' social media use and depression/anxiety symptoms and moderation effects of sex or extraversion. At ages 13 (T1) and 14 (T2), 257 adolescents completed an online questionnaire regarding their depression and anxiety symptoms and problematic social media use as well as three social media use diaries. Cross-lagged panel modeling (CLPM) revealed a positive association between problematic use and later anxiety symptoms (ß = .16, p = .010). Extraversion moderated the association between active use and anxiety (ß = -.14, p = .032). Specifically, active use predicted higher subsequent anxiety symptoms only in adolescents with low to moderate levels of extraversion. No sex moderation was found. While social media use (active or problematic) predicted later anxiety symptoms (but not depression), the reverse was not the case. However, highly extraverted individuals seem to be less vulnerable to potential negative effects of social media use.

Child Sexual Abuse and Employment Earnings in Adulthood: A Prospective Canadian Cohort Study.

INTRODUCTION: Child sexual abuse remains a worldwide concern with devastating consequences on an individual's life. This longitudinal study investigates the associations between child sexual abuse (official reports versus retrospective self-reports) and subgroups by perpetrator identity (intrafamilial and extrafamilial), severity (penetration/attempted penetration, fondling/touching, noncontact), and chronicity (single, multiple episodes) and employment earnings in adulthood in a cohort followed for over 30 years. METHODS: The Quebec Longitudinal Study of Kindergarten Children database was linked to child protection services (official reports of sexual abuse) and to Canadian government tax returns (earned income). The sample included 3,020 individuals in Quebec French-language school kindergartens in 1986/1988, followed until 2017, and assessed with retrospective self-reports at age 22 years. Tobit regressions were used for associations with earnings (ages 33-37 years), adjusting for sex and family socioeconomic characteristics in 2021-2022. RESULTS: Individuals who experienced child sexual abuse had lower annual earnings. Those with retrospective self-reported sexual abuse (n=340) earned $4,031 (95% CI= -7,134, -931) less annually at ages 33-37 years than nonabused individuals (n=1,320), with pronounced differences for those with official reports (n=20), earning $16,042 (95% CI= -27,465, -4,618) less. Individuals self-reporting intrafamilial sexual abuse earned $4,696 (95% CI= -9,316, -75) less than those who experienced extrafamilial sexual abuse, whereas those self-reporting penetration/attempted penetration earned $6,188 (95% CI= -12,248, -129) less than those who experienced noncontact sexual abuse. CONCLUSIONS: Earnings gaps were highest for severest child sexual abuse (official reports, intrafamilial, penetrative). Future studies should investigate the underlying mechanisms. Improving support for victims of child sexual abuse could yield socioeconomic returns.

Mental health comorbidities following peer victimization across childhood and adolescence: a 20-year longitudinal study.

BACKGROUND: Peer victimization is associated with a wide range of mental health problems in youth, yet few studies described its association with mental health comorbidities. METHODS: To test the association between peer victimization timing and intensity and mental health comorbidities, we used data from 1216 participants drawn from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development, a population-based birth cohort. Peer victimization was self-reported at ages 6-17 years, and modeled as four trajectory groups: low, childhood-limited, moderate adolescence-emerging, and high-chronic. The outcomes were the number and the type of co-occurring self-reported mental health problems at age 20 years. Associations were estimated using negative binomial and multinomial logistic regression models and adjusted for parent, family, and child characteristics using propensity score inverse probability weights. RESULTS: Youth in all peer victimization groups had higher rates of co-occurring mental health problems and higher likelihood of comorbid internalizing-externalizing problems [odds ratios ranged from 2.06, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.52-2.79 for childhood-limited to 4.34, 95% CI 3.15-5.98 for high-chronic victimization] compared to those in the low victimization group. The strength of these associations was highest for the high-chronic group, followed by moderate adolescence-emerging and childhood-limited groups. All groups also presented higher likelihood of internalizing-only problems relative to the low peer victimization group. CONCLUSIONS: Irrespective of timing and intensity, self-reported peer victimization was associated with mental health comorbidities in young adulthood, with the strongest associations observed for high-chronic peer victimization. Tackling peer victimization, especially when persistent over time, could play a role in reducing severe and complex mental health problems in youth.

Perinatal and early-life factors associated with stable and unstable trajectories of psychopathic traits across childhood.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to identify perinatal and early-life factors associated with trajectories of psychopathic traits across childhood. METHODS: Participants were 1631 children (51.5% girls) from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development. A wide range of perinatal and early-life factors were assessed from pregnancy to age 2.5 years using medical files and mothers' reports. Psychopathic traits were assessed via teachers' reports at ages 6, 7, 8, 10, and 12 years. Latent class growth analyses and multinomial logistic regressions controlling for child sex were conducted. Two-way interaction effects between perinatal/early-life factors and child sex were explored. RESULTS: Four trajectories of psychopathic traits were identified: High-stable (4.48%), Increasing (8.77%), Decreasing (11.46%), and Low-stable (75.29%). A few perinatal factors and most child-level and family-level early-life factors significantly increased the odds of following the High-stable v. the Low-stable trajectory. Higher levels of psychotropic exposures during pregnancy, socioeconomic adversity, child's physical aggression, child's opposition, mother's depressive symptoms, and hostile parenting increased the likelihood of following the Increasing instead of the Low-stable trajectory. Higher socioeconomic adversity, mother's depressive symptoms, and inconsistent parenting were associated with membership to the High-stable instead of the Decreasing trajectory. Most associations were not moderated by child sex. CONCLUSIONS: These results shed light on the perinatal and early-life factors that are associated with specific pathways of psychopathic traits during childhood and suggest that different factors could be targeted to prevent the exacerbation (v. low and stable levels) or the stability at high levels (v. attenuation) of these traits.

Behaviors in kindergarten are associated with trajectories of long-term welfare receipt: A 30-year population-based study.

This study examines the link between behavior in kindergarten and adult-life welfare receipt. Teacher-rated behavioral assessments were obtained for inattention, hyperactivity, aggression-opposition, anxiety, and prosociality when children (n=2960) were aged 5-6 years and linked to their tax return records from age 18-35 years. We used group-based based trajectory modeling to identify distinct trajectories of welfare receipt and multinomial logistic regression models to examine the association between behaviors and trajectory group membership. The child's sex, IQ, and family background were adjusted for. Four trajectories of welfare receipt were identified: low (n = 2,390, 80.7%), declining (n = 260, 8.8%), rising (n = 150, 5.2%), and chronic (n = 160, 5.4%). Relative to the low trajectory, inattention and aggression-opposition at age 6 years were associated with increased risk of following a declining, rising, and chronic trajectory of welfare receipt, independent of hyperactivity and anxiety. Prosocial behaviors were independently associated with a lower risk of following a chronic trajectory. This study shows that kindergarten children exhibiting high inattention and aggression-opposition and low prosocial behaviors may be at increased risk of long-term welfare receipt in adulthood. The implications for early screening, monitoring, and prevention are discussed.

Developmental Patterns of Gambling Participation and Substance use Throughout Adolescence in a Population Birth Cohort.

This study investigated adolescents' single and co-occurring developmental patterns of gambling participation and substance use and their association with gambling and substance use-related issues at age 17, controlling for confounders. Multiple assessments from age 12 to 17 were conducted in a population-based cohort (N=1594, 51.2% boys). Latent growth modeling was used to analyze developmental patterns and Generalized linear models to examine their association with age-17 gambling and substance use-related problems, types and variety of activities, and substance abuse. Results revealed six developmental patterns, including Low- or Non-substance Users or Gamblers (24.2% sample), two trajectory-classes of Later-Onset Increasing (to a moderate level) substance users, either with or without gambling participation (7.8% and 45.5%, respectively), two trajectory-classes of Early-Onset Increasing (to a higher level) substance users, either with or without gambling participation (6.2% and 12.7%, respectively), and a smaller trajectory-class of Slow-Increasing Substance Users and Early-Onset Gamblers, declining to non-gambling after age 13 (3.6%). Gambling participation and substance use did not appear to influence each other with regard to their onset and course throughout adolescence, and to age-17 types and variety of gambling activities or substances used, problems related to gambling participation or substance use, or substance abuse. These findings are consistent with the addictive syndrome model and with both common and individualized approaches to prevention and treatment for adolescent gamblers or substance users.

Adolescents' internalizing symptoms predict dating violence victimization and perpetration 2 years later.

The aim of this longitudinal study was to examine bidirectional associations of adolescents' internalizing symptoms with dating violence victimization and perpetration. We conducted secondary analyses of the Québec Longitudinal Study of Child Development data (n = 974). Each adolescent completed items from the Conflict Tactics Scale (at ages 15 and 17 years) to assess psychological, physical, and sexual dating violence victimization and perpetration in the past 12 months. Adolescents' symptoms of depression and general anxiety in the past 12 months were self-reported (at ages 15 and 17 years) using The Mental Health and Social Inadaptation Assessment for Adolescents. There were concurrent associations of adolescents' internalizing symptoms with dating violence victimization and perpetration. Internalizing symptoms at age 15 years were positively associated with dating violence victimization and perpetration 2 years later in both males and females, even after adjusting for baseline characteristics. However, neither dating violence victimization nor perpetration at age 15 years was associated with internalizing symptoms 2 years later. For males and females, internalizing symptoms put adolescents at risk for future dating violence victimization and perpetration. Interventions that target internalizing symptoms may have the potential to decrease subsequent dating violence.