Aggressive behavior during toddlerhood: Interrelated effects of prenatal risk factors, negative affect, and cognition

Adolescent delinquency following co-occurring childhood head injuries and conduct problem symptoms: findings from a UK longitudinal birth cohort

Childhood conduct problems and head injuries share a bidirectional association, but how this affects the risk of adolescent delinquency is unknown. Due to their similar underlying mechanisms (i.e. increased impulsivity), this study aims to identify whether their co-occurrence increases the risk of adolescent delinquency. Data was obtained from 11,272 children at age 14 and 10,244 at age 17 years enrolled in the UK Millennium Cohort Study. Conduct problem symptoms (via the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire) and head injuries were parent reported from ages 3 to 14 years. Delinquency was self-reported at ages 14 and 17 including substance use, criminality, and antisocial behaviour. Incident rate ratios (IRR) were estimated for delinquency at ages 14 and 17 by childhood conduct problem and head injury status. Co-occurring head injuries and high conduct problem symptoms presented the greatest risk for overall delinquency and substance use at age 14 compared to those with the presence of one or neither (IRRs from 1.20 to 1.60). At age 17, conduct problems (with or without co-occurring head injuries) presented the greatest risk for overall delinquency, substance use, and antisocial behaviour. There was no evidence for an increased risk of delinquency at ages 14 or 17 following a head injury only. Whilst these findings suggest childhood head injuries alone do not increase the risk of adolescent delinquency, when co-occurring alongside high conduct problem symptoms there is a heightened earlier risk. These results provide further insight into adolescent delinquency and the outcomes of co-occurring childhood head injury and conduct problem symptoms.

The bidirectional relationship between head injuries and conduct problems: longitudinal modelling of a population-based birth cohort study

Childhood head injuries and conduct problems increase the risk of aggression and criminality and are well-known correlates. However, the direction and timing of their association and the role of their demographic risk factors remain unclear. This study investigates the bidirectional links between both from 3 to 17 years while revealing common and unique demographic risks. A total of 8,603 participants (50.2% female; 83% White ethnicity) from the Millennium Cohort Study were analysed at 6 timepoints from age 3 to 17. Conduct problems were parent-reported for ages 3 to 17 using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and head injuries at ages 3 to 14. A cross-lagged path model estimated the longitudinal bidirectional effects between the two whilst salient demographic risks were modelled cumulatively at three ecological levels (child, mother, and household). Conduct problems at age 5 promoted head injuries between 5 and 7 (Z = 0.07; SE = 0.03; 95% CI, 0.02-0.13), and head injuries at ages 7 to 11 promoted conduct problems at age 14 (ß = .0.06; SE = .0.03; 95% CI, 0.01-0.12). Head injuries were associated with direct child-level risk at age 3, whereas conduct problems were associated with direct risks from all ecological levels until 17 years. The findings suggest a sensitive period at 5-11 years for the bidirectional relationship shared between head injuries and conduct problems. They suggest that demographic risks for increased head injuries play an earlier role than they do for conduct problems. Both findings have implications for intervention timing.

Linked head injury and conduct problem symptom pathways from early childhood to adolescence and their associated risks: Evidence from the millennium cohort study

Conduct problems and head injuries increase the risk of delinquency and share a bidirectional association. However, how they link across development is unknown. The present study aimed to identify their linked developmental pathways and associated risk factors. Latent class analysis was modeled from Millennium Cohort Study data (n = 8,600) to identify linked pathways of conduct problem symptoms and head injuries. Head injuries were parent-reported from ages 3 to 14 and conduct problems from ages 3 to 17 using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Multinomial logistic regression then identified various risk factors associated with pathway membership. Four distinct pathways were identified. Most participants displayed low-level conduct problem symptoms and head injuries (n = 6,422; 74.7%). Three groups were characterized by clinically relevant levels of conduct problem symptoms and high-risk head injuries in childhood (n = 1,422; 16.5%), adolescence (n = 567; 6.6%), or persistent across development (n = 189; 2.2%). These clinically relevant pathways were associated with negative maternal parenting styles. These findings demonstrate how pathways of conduct problem symptoms are uniquely linked with distinct head injury pathways. Suggestions for general preventative intervention targets include early maternal negative parenting styles. Pathway-specific interventions are also required targeting cumulative risk at different ecological levels.

An Evaluation of Food and Nutrient Intake among Pregnant Women in The Netherlands: A Systematic Review

Nutritional deficiencies during pregnancy can have serious consequences for the health of the (unborn) child. This systematic review provides an updated overview of the available food and nutrient intake data for pregnant women in The Netherlands and an evaluation based on the current recommendations. Embase, MEDLINE, and national institute databases were used. Articles were selected if they had been published since 2008 and contained data on food consumption, nutrient intake, or the status of healthy pregnant women. A qualitative comparison was made with the 2021 Dutch Health Council recommendations and reference values. A total of 218 reports were included, representing 54 individual studies. Dietary assessments were primarily performed via food frequency questionnaires. Protein, vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin B₆, folate, vitamin B₁₂, vitamin C, iron, calcium, and magnesium intakes seemed to be adequate. For folate and vitamin D, supplements were needed to reach the recommended intake. The reasons for concern are the low intakes of fruits, vegetables, and (fatty) fish, and the intakes of alcohol, sugary drinks, and salt. For several foods and nutrients, no or limited intake data were found. High-quality, representative, and recent data are needed to evaluate the nutrient intake of pregnant women in order to make accurate assessments and evaluations, supporting scientific-based advice and national nutritional policies.

Integrative Multi-omics Analysis of Childhood Aggressive Behavior

This study introduces and illustrates the potential of an integrated multi-omics approach in investigating the underlying biology of complex traits such as childhood aggressive behavior. In 645 twins (cases = 42%), we trained single- and integrative multi-omics models to identify biomarkers for subclinical aggression and investigated the connections among these biomarkers. Our data comprised transmitted and two non-transmitted polygenic scores (PGSs) for 15 traits, 78,772 CpGs, and 90 metabolites. The single-omics models selected 31 PGSs, 1614 CpGs, and 90 metabolites, and the multi-omics model comprised 44 PGSs, 746 CpGs, and 90 metabolites. The predictive accuracy for these models in the test (N = 277, cases = 42%) and independent clinical data (N = 142, cases = 45%) ranged from 43 to 57%. We observed strong connections between DNA methylation, amino acids, and parental non-transmitted PGSs for ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, intelligence, smoking initiation, and self-reported health. Aggression-related omics traits link to known and novel risk factors, including inflammation, carcinogens, and smoking.