Exploring the interplay between psychotic experiences, functional somatic symptoms and health anxiety in childhood and adolescence - A longitudinal cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Similarities exist between contemporary explanatory models underlying psychosis development, functional somatic symptoms, and health anxiety. The current study aimed to examine the potential interplay between psychotic experiences (and alternate measures of anomalous self-experiences and aberrant attribution of salience) and functional somatic symptoms on the outcome of health anxiety in youths. METHODS: In a prospective general-population birth cohort, the Copenhagen Child Cohort 2000 (CCC2000), data from two time-points were available for 1122 individuals. We assessed the associations between psychotic experiences and functional somatic symptoms with health anxiety both cross-sectionally at ages 11- and 16-years, and longitudinally from age 11 to 16. Further, we examined if there was an interaction between these two domains on the outcome of health anxiety using the interaction contrast ratio. RESULTS: Functional somatic symptoms and psychotic experiences were strongly cross-sectionally associated with health anxiety at both ages 11 and 16, even after adjustment for general psychopathology. In the longitudinal analyses, functional somatic symptoms, and psychotic experiences at age 11 were not individually associated with health anxiety at age 16 but having both functional somatic symptoms and psychotic experiences was: odds ratio 3.90, 95%CI 1.7-8.9, with suggestion of evidence for interaction beyond the additive effects. This association was attenuated after adjustment for general psychopathology: odds ratio 2.6, 95 % CI 1.0-6.4. CONCLUSION: The strong associations between the domains support the idea of possible overlapping mechanisms underlying psychotic experiences, functional somatic symptoms, and health anxiety.

School performances in children with cataract: results from a population-based cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: Childhood cataract is a chronic condition that may interfere with the child's learning capacities. We aimed to investigate whether childhood cataract influences academic development by comparing school performance in reading and mathematics in children with cataract to a matched control group. DESIGN: Nationwide registry-based cohort study. SETTINGS: Two surgical centres that perform all treatments for childhood cataract in Denmark. PARTICIPANTS: Children born between 2000 and 2009 diagnosed with cataract before 10 years of age (n=275) and an age-matched and sex-matched control group (n=2473). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: School performance was assessed as test scores in national tests performed at regular intervals from grade 2 to grade 8 in reading and mathematics. Analyses were corrected for birth origin, child somatic and mental disorder and parental socioeconomic status and mental disorders. RESULTS: Of 275 children, 85 (30.9%) were operated for bilateral cataract, 79 (28.7%) unilateral cataract and 111 (40,4%) were not operated. We found that children with cataract have lower participation rate in the tests (62.5%) compared with the control cohort (77.2%) (p value=0.0001). After adjusting the pooled analyses for birth origin, somatic and mental disease in the child and parental socioeconomic status and mental disorders, we found that the children with cataract scored significantly lower in mathematics compared with those without cataract (mean difference=-4.78, 95% CI: -8.18 to -1.38, p value=0.006), whereas no difference was found regarding scores in reading (p=0.576). The lower score in mathematics was driven by children who had been operated for bilateral cataract (p-value=0.004). CONCLUSION: Children with cataract without somatic or neurodevelopmental comorbidities or psychosocial adversities seem to do well in school, whereas children operated for bilateral cataract have higher frequencies of difficulties in mathematical tasks.

Comparison of prevalence and mental health problems across symptom frequency of self-reported symptoms of binge-eating disorder in a community sample of adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: Binge-eating disorder (BED) and subthreshold BED (SBED) are prevalent in adults and associated with mental health problems including depression, non-suicidal self-injury, lower quality of life, and suicidality. There is solid evidence that binge-eating behaviors are also prevalent in adolescence, but knowledge about mental health in community adolescents with BED of different frequency thresholds is more limited. We aimed to investigate the prevalence and mental health problems associated with SBED of low frequency and/or limited duration compared with BED in a Danish community sample of adolescents. METHODS: We included 2509 adolescents who completed the online survey of the 16-17-year follow-up of the Copenhagen Child Cohort (CCC2000), including items on BED symptoms approximating the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) criteria, and items on mental health and quality of life. RESULTS: The 1-year prevalence of SBED was 2.7% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.0%-3.3%) with a male:female ratio of 1:3.7; comparable to previous findings on BED in the same sample. SBED was also comparable to BED concerning cross-sectional associations with overall mental health problems, lower health-related quality of life, depressive symptoms, and suicidal ideation, whereas no associations were seen with non-suicidal self-injury after Holm-Bonferroni correction. In both groups, thoughts and behaviors concerning food and weight interfered significantly with daily life. DISCUSSION: SBED and BED were equally prevalent in this adolescent community sample, and similarly associated with indicators of poor mental health. The findings indicate that community adolescents reporting symptoms approximating clinical criteria of BED need intervention irrespectively of symptom frequency or duration. PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE: This study adds knowledge to the field by comparing BED of low frequency and/or limited duration ("subthreshold BED," SBED) with full-syndrome BED in adolescents and showing that SBED in adolescence is both prevalent and associated with poor mental health to a similar extent as that of BED. Findings indicate that self-reported symptoms according to clinical criteria of SBED and BED alike constitute a public health problem and point to youngsters in need of intervention.

The longitudinal association of combined regulatory problems in infancy and mental health outcome in early childhood: a systematic review.

Co-occurring regulatory problems in infancy, RPs, including excessive crying, feeding-eating and sleeping, have been found associated with mental health problems in school ages. Still, an overview is needed on trajectories of co-occurring or combined RPs, and mental health problems in early childhood. The aim of this review is to systematically review the literature on longitudinal community-based studies of combined RPs measuring mental health outcomes in early childhood. Following the PRISMA guideline, we systematically reviewed the literature published 2000-2020, in which combined RPs are assessed in infancy, and mental health is examined using standardised measures at ages 1-7 years. The search was performed in four databases MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO and Scopus. A protocol is published on PROSPERO. Based on 1978 screened articles, 42 papers were screened for eligibility, of which six were included, comprising data on two or more RPs investigated among a total of 20,675 children. Assessment of risk of bias in the studies showed overall good quality in five of the six papers. The literature reviewed suggests that combined RPs in infancy are early markers of mental health problems during early childhood, and highlights that community studies exploring the longitudinal associations of combined RP and mental health problems in preschool and early school age are still scarce. Overall, the review points to the need of research into preventive intervention targeting early manifestations of childhood dysregulation, such as RPs.

Infancy weight faltering and childhood neurodevelopmental disorders: a general population birth-cohort study.

While it is known that intrauterine growth restriction is associated with later mental disorders, it is still unclear whether similar associations exists for postnatal weight faltering, also known as 'failure to thrive' in infancy. This study examined the potential connection between infancy weight faltering and mental disorders diagnosed in childhood focusing specifically on neurodevelopmental disorders. The Copenhagen Child Cohort (CCC2000) was used to explore weight gain in infancy assessed by community health nurses. Data from the Danish national registries were used to quantify ICD-10 mental disorders diagnosed between birth and 12 years of age, as well as potential child and family confounders. Of 4.476 children with sufficient weight data, 339 (7.3%) children were diagnosed with a mental disorder in childhood. Both any (weight gain < -1SD) and severe infancy weight faltering (weight gain < -2SD) were associated with psychomotor delays, while severe infancy weight faltering was also associated with intellectual impairments. Notably, no significant associations were found between weight faltering and autism spectrum disorders or attention deficit hyperactivity disorders. Weight faltering in infancy may be an early marker of neurodevelopmental delays. This possibility should be considered when assessing infants with slow weight gain, to early identification and treatment of co-occurring neurodevelopmental disorders.

Peripapillary Hyperreflective Ovoid Mass-like Structures (PHOMS) in Children: The Copenhagen Child Cohort 2000 Eye Study.

PURPOSE: To determine the prevalence of peripapillary hyperreflective ovoid mass-like structures (PHOMS) in a population-based child cohort and to study their association with other optic nerve head features and myopia. DESIGN: Observational, population-based cohort study of 1407 children aged 11-12 years. METHODS: Optical coherence tomography scans of optic nerve heads were graded for PHOMS, disc tilt, prelaminar hyperreflective lines, and scleral canal diameter and investigated for associated prenatal and ocular parameters. Children with optic disc drusen or optic disc edema were excluded. RESULTS: PHOMS were found in 8.9% of children. The location of PHOMS was predominantly in the superonasal section of the optic disc. Myopia and optic nerve head tilt were more common in children with PHOMS than in children without PHOMS (P < .001 and P < .001, respectively). Prelaminar hyperreflective lines were found in 17.9% of children with PHOMS compared to 7.3% of children without PHOMS (P < .001). Prelaminar hyperreflective lines with and without PHOMS were associated with a shorter axial length of the eye (P < .001). There were no prenatal factors associated with PHOMS. Prelaminar hyperreflective lines were associated with higher birth weight and continued maternal smoking during pregnancy (P = .01 and P = .02, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: PHOMS had a prevalence of 8.9% in healthy children without optic disc drusen or optic disc edema and was associated with increasing myopic refraction and the presence of a tilted optic nerve head and prelaminar hyperreflective lines. Given the high prevalence of PHOMS, they should not unreservedly be taken as evidence of optic neuropathy.

Motor development problems in infancy predict mental disorders in childhood: a longitudinal cohort study.

The purpose of this study is to examine whether motor development problems in infancy predicted mental disorders later in childhood, taking a wide array of potential confounding variables into consideration. This longitudinal study included an unselected study population of 33238 newborn children from the Copenhagen area, Denmark. Data on the predictor variable, motor development problems at 8-10 months of age, were obtained from the community health nurses' systematic evaluation of the child's motor development during a home visit and stored in the Child Health Database. Data on outcome, diagnosed mental disorders before the age of 8 years, were obtained from the Danish National Patient Register. Potential confounding variables were obtained from the Child Health Database, the National Birth Register and the Civil Registration System. The prevalence of motor development problems at 8-10 months of age was 19.3%; the incidence of any diagnosed mental disorder from 11 months of age to the 8th birthday was 4.0%. Motor development problems were associated with an increased risk of being diagnosed with a mental disorder before the 8th birthday, adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 1.47 (1.29-1.67). Motor development problems were associated with later neurodevelopmental disorders, AOR 1.77 (1.52-2.06), in particular autism spectrum disorders, AOR 1.63 (1.31-2.03), hyperactivity/attention deficit disorders, AOR 1.29 (1.03-1.61) and disorders of intellectual disability, AOR 3.28 (2.39-4.49). CONCLUSION: Motor development problems as early at 8-10 months of age were predictive of neurodevelopmental disorders before the 8th birthday. The findings call for clinical attention and more research on preventive potentials in the community child health care. WHAT IS KNOWN: • Children with ASD, ADHD and ID have high prevalence of early motor development problems. WHAT IS NEW: • Motor development problems in infancy predicted neurodevelopmental disorders before the 8th birthday. • This observation could improve early identification and prevention of mental health problems in childhood.

Smoking in pregnancy is associated with increased adiposity and retinal arteriolar wall-to-lumen ratio in adolescence: The Copenhagen Child Cohort Study 2000.

PURPOSE: To investigate the association between prenatal exposures and anthropometric data and cardiovascular risk factors including retinal arteriolar wall-to-lumen ratio in adolescence. METHODS: This longitudinal observational study included all 1445 adolescents from the Copenhagen Child Cohort 2000 who attended the 2016-2017 examination. Outcome measures included retinal arteriolar wall-to-lumen ratio, height, body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio, body composition measured by bioimpedance, and blood pressure. Information on prenatal exposures (birth weight, gestational age, maternal smoking during pregnancy) as well as sex, parental age, household income and parental educational levels were obtained from national registries. Associations between exposures and outcome measures were analyzed using general linear models. RESULTS: Maternal smoking during pregnancy was associated with a higher retinal arteriolar wall-to-lumen ratio (0.004 or 1.9%, P = 0.009) at age 16/17 years, an association driven exclusively by the female participants (0.008 or 3.7%, P < 0.0001). Maternal smoking during pregnancy was also associated to higher body-mass index (1.43 kg/m2, P < 0.0001), waist-to-hip ratio (0.02, P < 0.0001) and fat mass index (0.93 kg/m2, P < 0.0001). Birth weight, gestational age, and parental age had no detectable impact on retinal arteriolar wall-to-lumen ratios. CONCLUSION: Prenatal exposure to tobacco smoking is associated with a higher risk of obesity and, predominantly in girls, to a greater retinal arteriolar wall thickness, which suggests that maternal smoking may induce an unfavorable cardiovascular and metabolic risk profile in the child.

The Infant Health Study - Promoting mental health and healthy weight through sensitive parenting to infants with cognitive, emotional, and regulatory vulnerabilities: protocol for a stepped-wedge cluster-randomized trial and a process evaluation within municipality settings.

BACKGROUND: Child mental health problems are a major public health concern associated with poor mental and physical health later in development. The study evaluates a new community-based intervention to promote sensitive parenting and reduce enduring mental health problems and unhealthy weight among vulnerable infants aged 9-24 months. METHODS: We use a step-wedge cluster randomized controlled trial design conducted within a home visiting program offered by community health nurses to infant families in Denmark. Sixteen municipalities are randomly allocated to implement the intervention starting at three successive time points from May 1, 2022 to January 1, 2023. A total of 900-1000 families will be included. A standardized program, Psykisk Udvikling og Funktion (PUF), is used to identify infants with major problems of eating, sleep, emotional or behavioral regulation or developmental problems. The intervention builds on the Video-Feedback Intervention to Promote Positive Parenting (VIPP) program, adapted to the PUF-context and named the VIPP-PUF. Children will be followed up at ages 18 and 24 months. Primary outcome measure is the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) at child age 24 months. The other outcome measures include body mass index z-scores, the Ages and Stages Questionnaire Social-Emotional (ASQ:SE2); the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL 1½ -5); Eating behavior Questionnaires; the Being a Mother-questionnaire (BaM13); the Parental Stress Scale (PSS); and the WHO-5 well-being index (WHO-5). Data on child and family factors are obtained from National registries and the Child Health Database. Quantitative measures are applied to examine the effectiveness of the VIPP-PUF intervention and the implementation process. Qualitative measures include interviews with CHNs, parents and municipality stakeholders to explore factors that may influence the adherence and effectiveness of the intervention. DISCUSSION: The study examines a service-setting based intervention building on the promotion of sensitive parenting to vulnerable infants. We use a mixed methods approach to evaluate the intervention, taking into account the influences of COVID-19 pandemic running since March 2020. Overall, the study has potential to add to the knowledge on the possibilities of prevention within the municipality child health care to reduce the risk of mental health problems and unhealthy weight in early childhood. TRIAL REGISTRATION: www.ClinicalTrials.gov ; ID NCT04601779 ; Protocol ID 95-110-21307. Registered 25 June 2021.

Trajectories of dysregulation in preschool age.

Dysregulation of emotions, behaviour and attention is involved in several areas of childhood psychopathology, but knowledge about early developmental trajectories remains scarce. This study aims to explore continuity and associations of dysregulation in preschool age. Dysregulation was measured at age 2½ years and again at 5 years in a community-based birth cohort of 1099 children using the Child Behavior Checklist, preschool version (CBCL1½-5), answered by mothers. Based on the Dysregulation Profile (CBCL-DP) score, we defined four trajectory groups, using the 75th percentile from the Danish norm material as a cut-off. Associations between the four CBCL-DP trajectory groups and potential covariates, including child, parental and family factors, were analysed using univariate and multiple multinomial logistic regression. Nearly half (54%) of the children showed persistent low scores of CBCL-DP, 17% displayed continuing dysregulation problems, 13% had problems that increased from 2½ years to 5 years, whereas 16% of the children showed reduced problems across preschool age. Persistent dysregulation was associated with maternal postpartum depressive symptoms RRR = 2.20 (95% CI 1.29-3.75), low maternal educational level RRR = 1.69 (95% CI 1.08-2.66), and mothers' smoking during pregnancy RRR = 2.87 (95% CI 1.09-7.55). Persistent problems of emotional, behavioural and attention regulation in children aged 2½ years to 5 years is influenced by maternal educational level and post-partum depression symptoms. The study draws clinical attention to early symptoms of dysregulation and to the importance of addressing the specific needs of mentally vulnerable parents in intervention planning.

Increased Incidence of Mental Disorders in Children with Cataract: Findings from a Population-based Study.

PURPOSE: To examine the incidence of mental disorders in children with cataract compared with children without cataract. DESIGN: Nationwide cohort study based on entries in comprehensive national databases. METHODS: The incidence of mental disorders in children born between 2000 and 2017 diagnosed with cataract before 10 years of age (n = 485) was compared with sex- and age-matched controls (n = 4358). Analyses were corrected to somatic disease in the child and parental socioeconomic status and psychiatric morbidity. The study was conducted as 2 university hospitals in Denmark managing children 6 years of age our younger with cataract. RESULTS: The incidence of mental disorders was nearly doubled in children with cataract compared with controls (odds ratio [OR], 1.83; 95% CI, 1.28-3.63). The risk of anxiety disorders was quadrupled (OR, 4.10; 95% CI, 1.90-8.84) and the risk of developmental delay was doubled (OR, 2.66; 95% CI, 1.45-4.90). The risk of mental disorders was significantly higher in children diagnosed with cataract in the first 3 years of life compared with controls (OR, 2.36; 95% CI, 1.53-3.64), whereas those diagnosed with cataract later in childhood did not have an increased risk (OR, 1.24; 95% CI, 0.66-2.30). CONCLUSIONS: The risk of mental disorders, in particular anxiety and neurodevelopmental delay, is markedly increased in children with cataract and even more so in those diagnosed within the first 3 years of life. Psychiatric screening instruments may be integrated in the management of these children.

Cone photoreceptor density in the Copenhagen Child Cohort at age 16-17 years.

PURPOSE: To examine cone density in relation to gestational and morphological parameters in the Copenhagen Child Cohort (CCC2000). METHODS: The macula was imaged using adaptive optics in 1,296 adolescents aged 16-17 years. Axial length and distance visual acuity were determined. Absolute and angular cone photoreceptor density were analysed for an 80 × 80-pixel area, 2 degrees temporal to the fovea. Association with axial length was analysed with linear regression. Correlation with visual acuity was described with a Pearson correlation coefficient. Associations of cone density with gestational parameters, maternal smoking, sex and age were analysed using multiple regression adjusted for axial length. RESULTS: Mean absolute cone density was 30,007 cones/mm2 (SD ± 3,802) and mean angular cone density was 2,383 cones/deg2 (SD ± 231). Peri- and postnatal parameters, sex and age had no statistically significant effect on cone density (p > 0.05). Absolute cone density decreased with longer axial length (-2,855 cones/mm2 per mm or -9.7% per mm, p < 0.0001). For angular density, which included a correction for the geometrical enlargement of the eye with axial length, a decrease with axial length was detectable, but it was small (-20 cones/deg2 per mm or -0.84% per mm, p = 0.009). CONCLUSIONS: The decrease in cone density per unit solid angle with increasing axial length was small, less than 1 percent per mm, indicating that expansion of the posterior pole during the development of refraction takes place without a clinically significant loss of cones. Perinatal parameters, within the spectrum presented by the study population, had no detectable effect on cone density.

Precursors of self-reported subclinical hypomania in adolescence: A longitudinal general population study.

Symptoms of subclinical hypomania (SHM) are common in the general population of adolescents and young adults. SHM are most often transient yet might be risk markers of later bipolar disorder. The current study aimed to assess the clinical correlates of SHM at age 11 in the general population, examine the continuity of SHM from age 11-age 16 and explore the clinical precursors of age 16 SHM. As part of the Copenhagen Child Cohort 2000, 1,632 preadolescents participated in the examination of SHM and various clinical correlates at age 11, 893 were re-assessed for SHM at age 16 years. At age 11, SHM, psychotic experiences and depressive symptoms were assessed by semi-structured psychopathological interviews. Furthermore, the participants were diagnostically assessed by the Development and Well-Being Assessment and interviewed about sleep length. At age 16, SHM was assessed by self-report, using the Hypomania Checklist-32. Cannabis use occurring at age 15 or earlier was assessed at age 16. At age 11, SHM was associated with depressive disorders (Relative Risk [RR] = 2.96 [95% CI 1.26-6.96]), interview-based depressive symptoms (RR = 9.22 [5.93-14.34]), neurodevelopmental disorders (RR = 2.94 [1.66-5.20]), psychotic experiences (RR = 4.51 [2.90-7.01]) and insufficient sleep (RR = 2.10 [1.28-3.43]. In the longitudinal analyses, age 16 SHM was preceded by age 11 SHM (RR = 1.89 [1.02-3.49]), psychotic experiences (RR = 2.06, [1.28-3.33]), emotional disorders (RR = 1.77, [1.02-3.09]) and cannabis use (RR = 3.14, [1.93-5.10]), after mutual adjustment and adjustment for sex, and sociodemographic factors. In conclusion, age 11 SHM was statistically significantly associated with other types of psychopathology in cross-sectional analyses and showed some continuity with later self-reported SHM at age 16. Particularly early psychotic experiences and cannabis use stood out as independent precursors of self-reported SHM and might constitute important risk markers for the development of future SHM and bipolar disorder. An important potential caveat of the current study includes the self-report assessment of SHM.

Parental education, parent-child relations and diagnosed mental disorders in childhood: prospective child cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Mental disorder in childhood is an important public health issue. We aimed to examine the prospective association between parental education at childbirth and diagnosed mental disorders in young children and explore whether this association was mediated or modified by parent-child relations in infancy. METHODS: Prospective cohort study of all newborn was from 2002 to 2010 from 16 municipalities in the capital region of Copenhagen, Denmark, with follow-up until their 8th birthday, N = 40 762. Baseline data included information from national population registers and from health visitors' records at child aged 0 to 10 months. Outcome variable: any mental disorder diagnosed at hospital from age 11 months to 8 years. RESULTS: Low parental education was predictive of diagnosed child mental disorder, adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.83 (95% CI 1.49-2.23). Problematic parent-child relation at age 8-10 months was also predictive of mental disorder, AOR = 2.06 (1.57-2.70) but did not mediate the association between parental education and mental disorder. AOR for mental disorders was 3.24 (2.03-5.16 for the combination vocational training and problematic parent-child relation and 2.49 (1.42-4.38) for the combination primary school and problematic parent-child relation. CONCLUSIONS: Low parental education and problematic parent-child relation were independent risk factors for diagnosed mental disorders in the age span of 11 months to 8 years.

Incidence of cilioretinal arteries in 11- to 12-year-old children and association with maternal smoking during pregnancy: the Copenhagen Child Cohort 2000 Eye Study.

PURPOSE: To estimate the incidence of cilioretinal arteries in a Danish child cohort and associations with birth parameters. METHODS: The population-based Copenhagen Child Cohort 2000 Eye Study examined 1406 children aged 11-12 years. Colour fundus images of both eyes were graded for cilioretinal arteries in the three categories large temporal (defined as supplying the central macula), small temporal and nasal. Data on maternal smoking during pregnancy, gestational ageand birth weight were obtained from the Danish Medical Birth Registry. RESULTS: A total of 463/1338 (35%) children were found to have one or more cilioretinal arteries per child. Large temporal cilioretinal arteries were present in 280/1338 (21%) of children and were associated with tobacco smoking during pregnancy, being present in 70/246 (28%) of children with mothers who were smoking during pregnancy, but only in 191/990 (19%) of children whose mothers did not smoke during pregnancy (p = 0.0022). After adjustments for potential confounders, the odds ratio of having one or more large temporal cilioretinal arteries was 1.72 (CI95% 1.19-2.47; p = 0.0035) in the smoking versus none smoking category. No other associations with birth parameters were found. CONCLUSION: Cilioretinal arteries were present in more than one third of 11- to 12-year-old Danish children. Large temporal cilioretinal arteries were found in one fifth of children and were associated with maternal smoking during pregnancy. This finding suggests that the intrauterine environment may have an impact on the development of retinal vessels during foetal life.

Healthcare Costs, School Performance, and Health-related Quality of Life in Adolescence Following Psychotic Experiences in Preadolescence: A Longitudinal Cohort Study.

Psychotic experiences (PEs) are common in the general population in preadolescence. The implications of PEs on socioeconomic outcomes, including educational attainment, are scarcely described. We aimed to estimate how preadolescent PEs were associated with later healthcare costs, school performance, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in adolescence. A total of 1607 preadolescents from the general population Copenhagen Child Cohort 2000 were assessed for PEs at age 11-12 years and followed up over 5 years using register-based data on mental and somatic healthcare costs, and school performance at age 16. Furthermore, HRQoL was assessed for a subsample of the children at age 16-17. We adjusted for perinatal and family sociodemographic adversities, prior parental mental illness and healthcare use, child IQ-estimate at age 11-12, and parent-rated general psychopathology of their child. PEs were associated with slightly poorer school performance. However, preadolescents with PEs more often reported HRQoL within the lowest 10th percentile (OR = 2.74 [95% CI 1.71-4.37]). Preadolescents who reported PEs had higher average total healthcare costs over the following 5 years. The costs for individuals with PEs were higher for mental healthcare services across primary to tertiary care, but not for somatic care. After adjustments, PEs remained independently associated with higher costs and poorer HRQoL, but not with poorer school performance. In conclusion, PEs are important in mental health screening of preadolescents and identify a group of young people with increased healthcare service-use throughout adolescence and who report poorer HRQoL in adolescence, over and above parent-rated general psychopathology of their child.

Continuity of health anxiety from childhood to adolescence and associated healthcare costs: a prospective population-based cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Severe health anxiety (HA) is characterized by excessive and impairing worry and preoccupation with health issues and can cause increased and unnecessary medical examinations. HA in childhood and adolescence is scarcely explored, hindering the potential for prevention and early intervention. METHODS: HA was assessed in 1,278 children/youths at two time points at ages 11 and 16 years in a general population-based birth cohort. Register-based data on costs related to nonhospital-based primary and secondary somatic health services were obtained over the follow-up period. The presence of functional somatic symptoms, emotional disorders and chronic somatic illness at baseline were included as covariates. RESULTS: High HA (top 10% score) at age 11 predicted high HA at age 16 (relative risk [RR] 2.03, 95% CI: 1.26-3.31). The group with persistent HA was small (n = 17, 1.3%), resulting in broad confidence intervals. The statistical effect of HA at age 11 on HA at age 16 was heavily reduced after adjustment for sex and all covariates (RR: 1.49, 95% CI: 0.85-2.60). In the adjusted model, somatic illness at age 11 (RR: 1.91, 95% CI: 1.22-2.98) and female sex (RR: 3.33, 95% CI: 2.01-5.50) were independently associated with HA at age 16. Persistent HA was associated with approximately doubled healthcare costs compared to the group with consistently low HA. Incident HA at age 16 was associated with increased costs over follow-up. The increased costs were not explained by chronic somatic illness. CONCLUSIONS: A small subgroup of children had persistent high levels of HA from late childhood to adolescence and displayed increased healthcare costs. Female sex and chronic somatic disorders at age 11 were independent risk factors of HA at age 16. These findings provide potential means of early identification and of therapeutic levers. Further intervention development and evaluation are needed.

Mental disorders in referred 0-3-year-old children: a population-based study of incidence, comorbidity and perinatal risk factors.

The epidemiology of mental disorders in early childhood is still under-researched. We aim to explore the incidence, comorbidities and risk factors of mental disorders in 0-3-year-olds referred to hospital settings. In a national cohort of 918,280 children born in 1997-2010, we calculated incidence rates per 1,000 person-years (IR) of first-time mental and developmental disorders diagnosed in hospitals before four years of age. Data were obtained from Danish population registries. We used logistic regression to analyse co-morbidity and Cox proportional hazard models to evaluate the influence of pre- and perinatal risk factors. A total of 16,164 children (1.76%) were diagnosed with a mental (0.90%) or developmental disorder (1.05%). Pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) and disorders of hyperactivity and inattention (ADHD) were increasingly diagnosed with age. Feeding and eating disorders and disorders of social functioning were most frequent among the youngest children. Comorbidity was found in 18%, e.g., between PDD and ADHD (OR 135.8; 95% CI 112.0-164.7) or between ADHD and disorders of social functioning (OR 148.0; 95% CI 106.4-205.7). Young maternal age, old paternal age, maternal smoking in pregnancy, boy sex, premature birth and being small for gestational age were associated with highly increased risk of mental and developmental disorders. Mental and developmental disorders diagnosed within the first four years of life show increasing incidence rates and a complex pattern of comorbidities. Study findings point to the need of clinical and research attention towards the manifestations of developmental psychopathology in very young children.

Axial length change and its relationship with baseline choroidal thickness - a five-year longitudinal study in Danish adolescents: the CCC2000 eye study.

BACKGROUND: Myopic eyes are longer than nonmyopic eyes and have thinner choroids. The purpose of present study was to investigate whether a thinner subfoveal choroid at 11 years of age predicted axial eye elongation and myopia during adolescence. METHODS: Longitudinal, population-based observational study. Axial length was measured using an interferometric device and choroidal thickness was measured by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography. Myopia was defined as non-cycloplegic subjective spherical equivalent refraction ≤ - 0.50 diopters. RESULTS: Right eyes of 714 children (317 boys) were examined at age (median (IQR)) 11.5 (0.6) years and 16.6 (0.3) years during which axial length (median (IQR)) increased by 243 (202) µm in eyes without myopia (n = 630) at baseline compared with 454 (549) µm in eyes with myopia (n = 84) at baseline, p < 0.0001. A thicker baseline subfoveal choroid was associated with increased five-year axial elongation after adjustment for baseline axial length in nonmyopic eyes (ß = 27 µm/100 µm, 95%CI 6 to 48, p = 0.011) but not in myopic eyes (p = 0.34). Subfoveal choroidal thickness at 11 years of age did not predict incident myopia at 16 years of age (p = 0.11). Longer baseline axial length was associated with greater five-year axial elongation in both myopic (ß = 196 µm/mm, 95%CI 127 to 265, p < 0.0001) and nonmyopic eyes (ß = 28 µm/mm, 95%CI 7 to 49, p = 0.0085) and the odds for incident myopia increased with 1.57 (95%CI 1.18 to 2.09, p = 0.0020) per mm longer axial length at baseline. CONCLUSION: A thin subfoveal choroid at age 11 years did not predict axial eye elongation and incident myopia from age 11 to 16 years. A longer eye at age 11 years was associated with greater subsequent axial eye elongation and with increased risk of incident myopia at age 16 years.