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Uebel H, Dronavalli M, Lawler K, Lee E, Bajuk B, Burns L, Page A, Dickson M, Green C, Dicair L, Eastwood J, Oei JL. School performance in children with prenatal drug exposure and out-of-home care in NSW, Australia: a retrospective population-based cohort study. THE LANCET. CHILD & ADOLESCENT HEALTH 2024; 8:500-509. [PMID: 38897715 DOI: 10.1016/s2352-4642(24)00076-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2023] [Revised: 03/05/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Prenatal drug exposure (PDE) is a global public health problem that is strongly associated with the need for child protection services, including placement into out-of-home care (OOHC). We aimed to assess school outcomes for children with PDE (both with and without neonatal abstinence syndrome [NAS]) and the association of school performance with OOHC. METHODS Using linked population health, OOHC, and school test data, we compared results on the Australian standardised curriculum-based test, the National Assessment Program-Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN), for children with PDE who were born in New South Wales (NSW) between 2001 and 2020 and had completed at least one NAPLAN test between Jan 1, 2008, and June 30, 2021, administered in Year 3 (age 8-9 years), Year 5 (age 10-11 years), Year 7 (age 12-13 years), or Year 9 (age 14-15 years). Linked datasets included NSW Perinatal Data Collection (birth data), NSW Admitted Patient Data Collection (hospital diagnoses), NSW Education Standards Authority (NAPLAN scores), NSW Family and Community Services Dataset-KiDS Data Collection (OOHC information), NSW Mental Health Ambulatory Data Collection, and NSW Registry for Births, Deaths, and Marriages. The primary outcome was scoring above or below the National Minimum Standard (NMS) in any test domain (mathematics, language, writing, and spelling) at each year level, comparing the relative risk of scoring below NMS between children with and without PDE (and with or without NAS within the PDE group), and with and without OOHC contact. The association between OOHC on the likelihood of scoring above NMS was also investigated for PDE and non-PDE cohorts. FINDINGS The PDE cohort included 3836 children, and the non-PDE cohort included 897 487 children. Within the PDE cohort, 3192 children had a NAS diagnosis and 644 children had no NAS diagnosis. 1755 (45·8%) children with PDE required OOHC compared with 12 880 (1·4%) of 897 487 children without PDE. Children with PDE were more likely than children without PDE to score below NMS in any domain from Year 3 (risk ratio 2·72 [95% CI 2·58-2·76]) to Year 9 (2·36 [2·22-2·50]). Performance was similar regardless of a NAS diagnosis (Year 3: 0·96 [0·84-1·10]; Year 9: 0·98 [0·84-1·15]). The likelihood of scoring above NMS in Year 9 was reduced for children with PDE and without NAS (0·57 [0·45-0·73]) and NAS (0·58 [0·52-0·64]) compared with those without PDE, and also for children who received OOHC (0·60 [0·57-0·64]) compared with those without OOHC, when adjusted for confounders. Among children with PDE, those receiving OOHC had a similar likelihood of scoring above NMS compared with children who did not receive OOHC, from Year 3 (1·01 [0·92-1·11]) to Year 9 (0·90 [0·73-1·10]), when adjusted for confounding factors. By contrast, among children without PDE, those receiving OOHC were less likely to score above NMS than those who did not receive OOHC, from Year 3 (0·78 [0·76-0·80]) to Year 9 (0·58 [0·54-0·61]). INTERPRETATION Compared with children without PDE, school performance in children with PDE-regardless of whether they were diagnosed with NAS-is poor, and the gap widens with age. The risk of poor performance persists regardless of OOHC status. This finding underscores the need for all children with PDE to receive long-term, culturally sensitive, and proactive support to improve life success. FUNDING SPHERE Mindgardens Neuroscience Network, Australian Red Cross, Alpha Maxx Healthcare, Centre for Research Excellence for Integrated Health and Social Care, National Health and Medical Research Council, and University of Sydney.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah Uebel
- School of Women's and Children's Health, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW, Australia; Department of Paediatrics, Sydney Children's Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
| | - Mithilesh Dronavalli
- Translational Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia
| | - Kate Lawler
- School of Women's and Children's Health, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW, Australia
| | - Evelyn Lee
- Centre for Social Research in Health, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW, Australia; Centre for Economic Impacts of Genomic Medicine, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW, Australia
| | - Barbara Bajuk
- Critical Care Program, Sydney Children's Hospitals Network, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Lucinda Burns
- National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW, Australia
| | - Andrew Page
- Translational Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia
| | - Michelle Dickson
- The Poche Centre for Indigenous Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
| | | | - Lauren Dicair
- The Poche Centre for Indigenous Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
| | - John Eastwood
- National Public Health Service, Te Whatu Ora-Health New Zealand, Dunedin, New Zealand; School of Population Health, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW, Australia; Department of Preventative and Social Medicine, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand; Sydney Institute for Women Children and their Families, Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; Menzies Centre for Health Policy and Economics, School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia; Early Years Research Group, Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Liverpool, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Ju Lee Oei
- School of Women's and Children's Health, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW, Australia; Department of Newborn Care, Royal Hospital for Women, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia; Drug and Alcohol Services, Murrumbidgee Local Health District, Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia
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Qu G, Liu H, Han T, Zhang H, Ma S, Sun L, Qin Q, Chen M, Zhou X, Sun Y. Association between adverse childhood experiences and sleep quality, emotional and behavioral problems and academic achievement of children and adolescents. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2024; 33:527-538. [PMID: 36869931 PMCID: PMC9985439 DOI: 10.1007/s00787-023-02185-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/05/2023]
Abstract
The impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on adult health has been extensively examined, but the association between ACEs and sleep, emotion, behavior and academic outcomes of children and adolescents is not well known. A total of 6363 primary and middle school students were included to examine the effect of ACEs on sleep quality, emotional and behavioral problems and academic achievement and further explore the mediation role of sleep quality and emotional and behavioral problems. Children and adolescents with ACE exposure had 1.37 times risk of poor sleep quality (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 1.37, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.21-1.55), 1.91 times risk of emotional and behavioral problems (adjusted OR = 1.91, 95%CI: 1.69-2.15) and 1.21 times risk of self-reported lower academic achievement (adjusted OR = 1.21, 95%CI: 1.08-1.36). Most types of ACEs were significantly associated with poor sleep quality, emotional and behavioral problems and lower academic achievement. There were dose-response relationships between cumulative ACE exposure and risk of poor sleep quality, emotional and behavioral problems, and lower academic achievement. Sleep quality and emotional and behavioral performance mediated 45.9% of the effect of ACEs exposure on math scores and 15.2% of the effect of ACEs exposure on English scores. Early detection and prevention of ACEs among children and adolescents are urgent and essential, and targeted interventions for sleep and emotional and behavioral performance as well as early educational interventions are recommended for children with ACEs exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangbo Qu
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, No. 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China
| | - Haixia Liu
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, No. 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China
| | - Tiantian Han
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, No. 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China
| | - Huimei Zhang
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, No. 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China
| | - Shaodi Ma
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, No. 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China
| | - Liang Sun
- Fuyang Center for Disease Control and Prevention, No.19, Zhongnan Avenue, Fuyang, 236000, Anhui, China
| | - Qirong Qin
- Ma'anshan Center for Disease Control and Prevention, No.849, Jiangdong Avenue, Ma'anshan, 243000, Anhui, China
| | - Mingchun Chen
- Changfeng Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Changfeng, Anhui, China
| | - Xiaoqin Zhou
- Chaohu Hospital, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 238000, Anhui, China
| | - Yehuan Sun
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, No. 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, 230032, Anhui, China.
- Chaohu Hospital, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 238000, Anhui, China.
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