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Speyer LG, Hall HA, Hang Y, Hughes C, Murray AL. Within-family relations of mental health problems across childhood and adolescence. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2022; 63:1288-1296. [PMID: 35075634 PMCID: PMC9787478 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.13572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND While transactional models suggest that parent and child mental health reciprocally influence one another over development, research has largely focused on parent-to-child effects. Additionally, it is not known whether observed associations hold when appropriate statistical tools are used to operationalise within-family dynamics. METHODS We investigated within-family mental health dynamics using autoregressive latent trajectory models with structured residuals, stratified by child gender. Parental psychological distress was assessed using the Kessler (K6) scale, and children's internalising and externalising problems were assessed using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Both measures were administered at the age 3, 5, 7, 11, 14 and 17 waves of the Millennium Cohort Study (N = 10,746, ~50% female). RESULTS Maternal psychological distress was positively associated with subsequent internalising and externalising problems for girls but only with internalising problems for boys. Paternal psychological distress was associated with boys' later internalising and externalising problems during early adolescence. Among boys, internalising problems were associated with later maternal psychological distress, while externalising problems were associated with later paternal psychological distress. Among girls, internalising problems were associated with subsequent paternal psychological distress, while externalising problems were associated with later maternal psychological distress. Finally, maternal and paternal psychological distress showed negative bidirectional associations in early childhood but positive associations in middle childhood and early adolescence. CONCLUSIONS Findings support a transactional model of family mental health, with both child-to-parent and parent-to-child effects playing a role in the development of mental health difficulties. Mental health intervention efforts should, therefore, target the whole family system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lydia Gabriela Speyer
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of EdinburghEdinburghUK,Department of PsychologyUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
| | | | - Yuzhan Hang
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of EdinburghEdinburghUK
| | - Claire Hughes
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
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Speyer LG, Hall HA, Ushakova A, Luciano M, Auyeung B, Murray AL. Within-person Relations between Domains of Socio-emotional Development during Childhood and Adolescence. Res Child Adolesc Psychopathol 2022; 50:1261-1274. [PMID: 35670883 DOI: 10.1007/s10802-022-00933-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/08/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Adolescence is a critical period in the development of mental health with nearly 1 in 5 adolescents suffering from mental health problems and more than 40 percent of these experiencing at least one co-occurring mental health disorder. This study investigates whether there are differences in the relations between key dimensions of child and adolescent mental health in adolescence compared to childhood. Mental health and related socio-emotional traits were measured longitudinally at ages 4, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13, and 16 in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (N = 11279) using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaires. Graphical Vector Autoregression models were used to analyse the temporal within-person relations between conduct problems, emotional problems, hyperactivity/inattention, peer problems and prosociality across childhood (ages 4 to 9) and adolescence (11 to 16). Results suggest that adolescence is characterised by an increase in the number and strength of temporal relations between socio-emotional difficulties. In particular, in adolescence there were bidirectional connections between peer problems and emotional problems, between conduct problems and hyperactivity/inattention and between prosociality and conduct problems as well as hyperactivity/inattention. In childhood, conduct problems and prosociality were reciprocally related. Results also suggested peer problems as a potential mediating factor between conduct and emotional problems in childhood. Overall, this study suggests that different domains of socio-emotional development influence each other over development. Adolescence is characterised by an increase in temporal connections, which may be one factor underlying the increased vulnerability to the onset of mental health problems during that period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lydia Gabriela Speyer
- Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK. .,Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Site, Cambridge, CB2 3EA, UK.
| | | | - Anastasia Ushakova
- Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.,Medical School, University of Lancaster, Lancashire, UK
| | - Michelle Luciano
- Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Bonnie Auyeung
- Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.,Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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Murray AL, Obsuth I, Zirk-Sadowski J, Ribeaud D, Eisner M. Developmental Relations Between ADHD Symptoms and Reactive Versus Proactive Aggression Across Childhood and Adolescence. J Atten Disord 2020; 24:1701-1710. [PMID: 27585832 DOI: 10.1177/1087054716666323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Objective: Past research has provided some preliminary evidence that ADHD and reactive aggression have overlapping neurocognitive bases. Based on this, we tested the hypothesis that ADHD symptoms are closely coupled in developmental terms with reactive aggression, more so than with proactive aggression with which it has been postulated to be only indirectly linked. Method: We used latent growth curve analysis to estimate the developmental relations between ADHD symptoms and subtypes of aggressive behavior in a normative sample of 1,571 youth (761 female, 810 male) measured from ages 7 to 15. Results: Individual ADHD trajectories were significantly and substantially correlated with individual trajectories in both aggressive subtypes; however, consistent with our hypothesis, the relation with reactive aggression was significantly stronger. Conclusion: Our study provides some of the first evidence for a differential relation between ADHD symptoms and aggression subtypes not only cross-sectionally but also in terms of their longitudinal developmental trajectories.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Denis Ribeaud
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH), Switzerland
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Murray AL, Booth T, Auyeung B, Eisner M, Ribeaud D, Obsuth I. Outcomes of ADHD Symptoms in Late Adolescence: Are Developmental Subtypes Important? J Atten Disord 2020; 24:113-125. [PMID: 30132385 PMCID: PMC7611469 DOI: 10.1177/1087054718790588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Objective: Substantial individual variation exists in the age of onset and course of ADHD symptoms over development. We evaluated whether, within this variation, meaningful developmental subtypes can be defined. Method: Using growth mixture modeling in a community-based sample (N = 1,571), we analyzed ADHD symptom trajectories based on measures taken at ages 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, and 15 years. We evaluated whether those showing developmental trajectories characterized by later onsets versus early onsets differed in terms of mental health and behavioral outcomes in late adolescence (age 17 years). Result: The late onset category was best conceptualized as a milder subtype than early onset. The former was, however, more similar in outcomes to the latter than to the unaffected category, suggesting that later onsets are still associated with impairment. Conclusion: Considering diagnoses for those affected by ADHD symptoms but who do not meet current age of onset criteria may be important for ensuring that they receive appropriate support.
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Flax J, Gwin C, Wilson S, Fradkin Y, Buyske S, Brzustowicz L. Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorder: Another name for the Broad Autism Phenotype? AUTISM : THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND PRACTICE 2019; 23:1982-1992. [PMID: 30931583 DOI: 10.1177/1362361318822503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders' (5th ed.) Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorder is meant to capture the social elements of communication dysfunction in children who do not meet autism spectrum disorder criteria. It is unclear whether Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorder captures these elements without overlapping with Autism Spectrum Disorder or the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders' (5th ed.) Language Disorder. Standardized behavioral assessments administered during a family genetics study were used to evaluate the social communication impairment and the restricted interests and repetitive behaviors in persons with autism spectrum disorder, language impairment, or neither. Social communication impairment and restricted interests and repetitive behavior were significantly correlated in all family members regardless of affection status. Rates of social communication impairment and restricted interests and repetitive behavior were highest in individuals with autism spectrum disorder. One-third of family members with language impairment presented with at least mild/moderate levels of social communication impairment (36.6%) and restricted interests and repetitive behavior (43.3%). A subset of unaffected members also presented with mild/moderate levels of social communication impairment (parents = 10.1%, siblings 11.6%) and restricted interests and repetitive behavior (parents = 14.0%, siblings = 22.1%). The majority of child family members with mild/moderate levels of social communication impairment had similar restricted interest and repetitive behavior levels reflecting criteria representing the Broad Autism Phenotype. These data suggest that social pragmatic communication disorder does not capture the profiles of children who have both social communication impairment and restricted interests and repetitive behavior but are in need of clinical services.
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Murray AL, Booth T, Obsuth I, Zirk-Sadowski J, Eisner M, Ribeaud D. Testing the exacerbation and attenuation hypotheses of the role of anxiety in the relation between ADHD and reactive/proactive aggression: A 10-year longitudinal study. Psychiatry Res 2018; 269:585-592. [PMID: 30205351 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2018.08.120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2017] [Revised: 07/11/2018] [Accepted: 08/28/2018] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Both anxiety and aggression commonly co-occur with ADHD symptoms. Two competing hypotheses describing the role of anxiety in aggression associated with ADHD symptoms have previously been advanced. The exacerbation hypothesis proposes that the presence of anxiety increases the risk of aggression in the context of ADHD symptoms. The attenuation hypothesis proposes that the presence of anxiety protects against aggression in the context of ADHD symptoms. We tested these hypotheses using moderated cross-lagged panel models in the Zurich project on social development from childhood to adulthood (z-proso) sample using both self-report (3 waves) and informant-report (8 waves) data spanning ages 7-17. We found evidence that anxiety protects against both reactive and proactive aggression; however, the effect was direct: there was no evidence for anxiety moderating the strength of ADHD symptom-aggression links. Results suggest that anxiety likely plays an important role in inhibiting aggression but does not interact with ADHD symptoms in the manner predicted by either the exacerbation or attenuation hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aja Louise Murray
- Violence Research Centre, Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge, Sidgwick Avenue, Cambridge CB3 9DA, UK.
| | - Tom Booth
- Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, UK
| | - Ingrid Obsuth
- Violence Research Centre, Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge, Sidgwick Avenue, Cambridge CB3 9DA, UK
| | - Jan Zirk-Sadowski
- Epidemiology and Public Health, Institute of Biomedical and Clinical Science, University of Exeter Medical School, UK
| | - Manuel Eisner
- Violence Research Centre, Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge, Sidgwick Avenue, Cambridge CB3 9DA, UK
| | - Denis Ribeaud
- Criminological Research Unit, Chair of Sociology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH), Switzerland
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Murray AL, Eisner M, Ribeaud D. The Development of the General Factor of Psychopathology 'p Factor' Through Childhood and Adolescence. JOURNAL OF ABNORMAL CHILD PSYCHOLOGY 2017; 44:1573-1586. [PMID: 26846993 DOI: 10.1007/s10802-016-0132-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Recent studies have suggested that the structure of psychopathology may be usefully represented in terms of a general factor of psychopathology (p-factor) capturing variance common to a broad range of symptoms transcending diagnostic domains in addition to specific factors capturing variance common to smaller subsets of more closely related symptoms. Little is known about how the general co-morbidity captured by this p-factor develops and whether general co-morbidity increases or decreases over childhood and adolescence. We evaluated two competing hypotheses: 1) dynamic mutualism which predicts growth in general co-morbidity and associated p-factor strength over time and 2) p-differentiation which predicts that manifestations of liabilities towards psychopathology become increasingly specific over time. Data came from the Zurich Project on the Social Development of Children and Youths (z-proso), a longitudinal study of a normative sample (approx. 50 % male) measured at 8 time points from ages 7 to 15. We operationalised general co-morbidity as p-factor strength in a bi-factor model and used omega hierarchical to track how this changed over development. In contrast to the predictions of both dynamic mutualism and p-differentiation, p-factor strength remained relatively constant over the studied period suggesting that such processes do not govern the interplay between psychopathological symptoms during this phase of development. Future research should focus on earlier phases of development and on factors that maintain the consistency of symptom-general covariation across this period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aja Louise Murray
- Violence Research Centre, Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 9DA, UK.
| | - Manuel Eisner
- Violence Research Centre, Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 9DA, UK
| | - Denis Ribeaud
- Criminological Research Unit, Chair of Sociology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH), Zurich, Switzerland
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Murray AL, Eisner M, Obsuth I, Ribeaud D. Situating violent ideations within the landscape of mental health: Associations between violent ideations and dimensions of mental health. Psychiatry Res 2017; 249:70-77. [PMID: 28073033 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2017.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2016] [Revised: 12/29/2016] [Accepted: 01/01/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Violent ideations occur more frequently in individuals with mental health problems. They may be of interest in clinical contexts as possible indicators of dangerousness, as corollaries of mental health problems, as candidate treatment targets and as potentially playing a role in perpetuation or onset of symptoms. In spite of their relevance to mental health, some fundamental questions about their place within the broader landscape of mental health problems remain unanswered. To provide a basic characterisation of the relations between violent ideations and dimensions of mental health and provide a foundation for future research in this area we factor analysed a measure of violent ideations and an omnibus measure of mental health dimensions in a normative sample of 1306 youth (at age 17). Results supported a separate dimension of violent ideations with a small to moderate correlation with five other dimensions of mental health: internalising, prosociality, ADHD, indirect/proactive aggression, and physical/reactive aggression. Controlling for comorbidity among mental health dimensions, all but ADHD had unique relations with violent ideations. This suggests that violent ideations are potentially of broad relevance to mental health and related behaviours and there should be a greater research effort aimed at understanding their possible role in mental health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aja Louise Murray
- Violence Research Centre, Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Manuel Eisner
- Violence Research Centre, Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Ingrid Obsuth
- Violence Research Centre, Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Denis Ribeaud
- Criminological Research Unit, Chair of Sociology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH), Zurich, Switzerland
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Grove R, Hoekstra RA, Wierda M, Begeer S. Exploring sex differences in autistic traits: A factor analytic study of adults with autism. AUTISM : THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND PRACTICE 2016; 21:760-768. [PMID: 27811194 DOI: 10.1177/1362361316667283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Research has highlighted potential differences in the phenotypic and clinical presentation of autism spectrum conditions across sex. Furthermore, the measures utilised to evaluate autism spectrum conditions may be biased towards the male autism phenotype. It is important to determine whether these instruments measure the autism phenotype consistently in autistic men and women. This study evaluated the factor structure of the Autism Spectrum Quotient Short Form in a large sample of autistic adults. It also systematically explored specific sex differences at the item level, to determine whether the scale assesses the autism phenotype equivalently across males and females. Factor analyses were conducted among 265 males and 285 females. A two-factor structure consisting of a social behaviour and numbers and patterns factor was consistent across groups, indicating that the latent autism phenotype is similar among both autistic men and women. Subtle differences were observed on two social behaviour item thresholds of the Autism Spectrum Quotient Short Form, with women reporting scores more in line with the scores expected in autism on these items than men. However, these differences were not substantial. This study showed that the Autism Spectrum Quotient Short Form detects autistic traits equivalently in males and females and is not biased towards the male autism phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Marlies Wierda
- 3 Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,4 VU University Medical Center, The Netherlands
| | - Sander Begeer
- 3 Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,4 VU University Medical Center, The Netherlands
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Brukner-Wertman Y, Laor N, Golan O. Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorder and Its Relation to the Autism Spectrum: Dilemmas Arising From the DSM-5 Classification. J Autism Dev Disord 2016; 46:2821-2829. [DOI: 10.1007/s10803-016-2814-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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Murray AL, McKenzie K, Kuenssberg R, Booth T. Do the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) and Autism Spectrum Quotient Short Form (AQ-S) Primarily Reflect General ASD Traits or Specific ASD Traits? A Bi-Factor Analysis. Assessment 2015; 24:444-457. [DOI: 10.1177/1073191115611230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
In the current study, we fit confirmatory bi-factor models to the items of the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) and Autism Spectrum Quotient Short Form (AQ-S) in order to assess the extents to which the items of each reflect general versus specific factors. The models were fit in a combined sample of individuals with and without a clinical diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders. Results indicated that, with the exception of the Attention to Details factor in the AQ and the Numbers/Patterns factors in the AQ-S, items primarily reflected a general factor. This suggests that when attempting to estimate an association between a specific symptom measured by the AQ or AQ-S and some criterion, associations will be confounded by the general factor. To resolve this, we recommend using a bi-factor measurement model or factor scores from a bi-factor measurement whenever hypotheses about specific symptoms are being assessed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Tom Booth
- University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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