•Recurrent lifetime affective problems predict diminished late-life cognitive state.•Those with affective problems only once do not show risk of lower cognitive state.•Recurrence, rather than timing, ...of problems is more predictive.•These associations remain even when controlling for prior childhood cognition.•The risk of lower cognitive state is already manifest in early old age (age 69).
Affective problems increase the risk of dementia and cognitive impairment, yet the life course dimension of this association is not clearly understood. We aimed to investigate how affective problems across the life course relate to later-life cognitive state.
Data from 1269 participants from the Medical Research Council National Survey of Health and Development (NSHD, the British 1946 birth cohort) were used. Prospectively-assessed measures of affective symptoms spanning ages 13–69 and categorised into case-level thresholds. Outcomes consisted of a comprehensive measure of cognitive state (Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination (ACE-III)), verbal memory, and letter search speed and accuracy at age 69.
Complementary life course models demonstrated that having 2 or more case-level problems across the life course was most strongly associated with poorer cognitive outcomes, before and after adjusting for sex, childhood cognition, childhood and midlife occupational position and education.
A disproportionate loss to follow-up of those who had lower childhood cognitive scores may have led to underestimation of the strength of associations.
Using a population-based prospective study we provide evidence that recurrent lifetime affective problems predicts poorer later-life cognitive state, and this risk can be already manifest in early old age (age 69). Our findings raise the possibility that effective management to minimise affective problems reoccurring across the life course may reduce the associated risk of cognitive impairment and decline.
Psychoeducation is a common element in psychological interventions for youth depression and anxiety, but evidence about its use with youth perinatally is limited.
This review aims to understand ...outcomes and mechanisms of psychoeducation for the indicated prevention and treatment of perinatal depression and anxiety in youth.
For this review, we synthesised published quantitative and qualitative evidence. Seven databases (ASSIA, Medline, PubMed, PsycINFO, PsycArticles, Scopus and Web of Science) were searched for studies published before 10 August 2021. We also had consultations with a youth advisory group (
= 12).
In total, 20 studies met the inclusion criteria. Seven quantitative studies examined multicomponent interventions that included psychoeducation, and one study evaluated psychoeducation as a standalone intervention for postnatal depression. Multicomponent interventions showed significant effects on postnatal depression in two out of six studies, as well as being effective at reducing prenatal anxiety in one study. Standalone psychoeducation for postnatal depression was also effective in one study. Evidence from 12 qualitative studies, corroborated by commentaries from the youth advisory group, suggested that psychoeducation could increase knowledge about symptoms, generate awareness of relevant services and enhance coping.
Psychoeducation may be an important foundational ingredient of interventions for perinatal depression and, potentially, anxiety in adolescents and young adults through stimulating help-seeking and self-care.
Background: Little is known about what factors can modify the relationship between affective symptoms and cognitive function across the life course.
Aim: To investigate a number of factors that can ...contribute to resilience in cognitive function in relation to affective symptoms, using data from the National Child Development Study.
Subjects and methods: Adult affective symptoms were measured using the Malaise Inventory Scale (ages 23, 33, 42 and 50). Measures of immediate and delayed memory, verbal fluency and information processing accuracy (age 50) were used to derive measures of resilience in cognitive function-better than predicted cognition, when accounting for experiences of affective symptoms. Factors contributing to resilience in cognitive function were informed by a literature review and included sex, childhood cognitive ability, education, household socio-economic position (SEP), midlife SEP, and APOE genotype. Linear regression and structural equation modelling approaches were used for analyses.
Results: Higher childhood cognitive ability, educational level, midlife SEP and female sex contributed to better than predicted cognitive function in relation to affective symptoms (i.e. resilience), with particularly consistent effects for memory. No effects on resilience were revealed for APOE genotype.
Conclusion: Understanding factors contributing to resilience in cognitive function in those with affective symptoms can inform interventions to promote healthy cognitive ageing for those at risk.
Common mental health problems (particularly depression and anxiety) are common among adolescents during the perinatal period. Previous research has identified the distinctive needs of this group and ...called for contextually appropriate psychosocial interventions. The current study conducted in Malawi aimed to explore risk and protective factors for common mental health problems, and barriers to accessing mental health care, among perinatal adolescents, to develop a contextually relevant intervention for preventing and treating perinatal depression and anxiety. An exploratory qualitative study was conducted in antenatal and postnatal clinics in Zomba district, Malawi in January–March 2022. In-depth individual interviews were completed with perinatal adolescents aged ≤19 (n = 14); their family members (n = 4); and healthcare workers (n = 8). Interview data were subjected to thematic framework analysis. Data were organised around two themes: “psychosocial risk and protective factors” (potential causes of common mental health problems among adolescents); and “health care services” (maternal and mental health services available, and adolescents’ experiences of using these services). Interventions need to go beyond targeting symptoms of depression and anxiety to addressing the wider contextual risk factors and barriers to care at the different socioecological levels.
The transition from primary to secondary education is a critical period in early adolescence which is related to increased anxiety and stress, increased prevalence of mental health issues, and ...decreased maths performance, suggesting it is an important period to investigate maths attainment. Previous research has focused on anxiety and working memory as predictors of maths, without investigating any long-term effects around the education transition. This study examined working memory and internalizing symptoms as predictors of children's maths attainment trajectories (age 7-16) across the transition to secondary education using secondary longitudinal analysis of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). This study found statistically significant, but very weak evidence for the effect of internalizing symptoms and working memory on maths attainment. Greater parental education was the strongest predictor, suggesting that children of parents with a degree (compared with those with a CSE) gain the equivalent of almost a year's schooling in maths. However, due to methodological limitations, the effects of working memory and internalizing symptoms on attainment cannot be fully understood with the current study. Additional research is needed to further uncover this relationship, using more time-appropriate measures.
Childhood neglect is more common within low-income families and can have long-term effects on mental health. Despite this, the extent to which it can mediate the well documented longitudinal inverse ...relationship between childhood socio-economic position (SEP) and adult affective symptoms is yet to be investigated.
Data (9595 males and 8959 females) from participants of the National Child Development Study (NCDS) were used to investigate the extent to which prospectively measured neglect mediates the relationship between SEP (age 11) and affective symptoms (ages 23 and 50).
Neglect partially mediated the relationship between childhood SEP and affective symptoms at ages 23 (b = -0.02, -0.02, -0.02) and 50 (b = -0.02, -0.02, -0.01), after controlling for other family-related adversities. In addition, gender moderated the direct effect of SEP on affective symptoms at both ages 23 (b = -0.06, t = -4.87, -0.08, -0.03) and 50 (b = -0.05, t = -3.86, -0.07, -0.02), with the relationship being stronger for females; but did not moderate the indirect effect of neglect at either age 23 (b = 0.01, t = 1.09 -0.01, 0.02) or 50 (b = 0.00, t = -0.60 -0.02, 0.01).
Neglect in childhood should be viewed as having serious implications for the mental health of both men and women. Greater investments into social support interventions that reduce incidences of neglect are also warranted.
Research highlights ► Adolescent emotional problems are a risk factor for metabolic syndrome in mid life. ► CRP gene modifies the association. ► The association is stronger in CRP rs1205 CC ...homozygotes than in T allele carriers. ► CRP gene helps identifying depressed people at high risk for metabolic syndrome.
Childhood and adolescent mental health have a lasting impact on adult life chances, with strong implications for subsequent health, including cognitive aging. Using the British 1946 birth cohort, the ...authors tested associations between adolescent conduct problems, emotional problems and aspects of self-organization, and verbal memory at 43 years and rate of decline in verbal memory from 43 to 60-64 years. After controlling for childhood intelligence, adolescent self-organization was positively associated with verbal memory at 43 years, mainly through educational attainment, although not with rate of memory decline. Associations between adolescent conduct and emotional problems and future memory were of negligible magnitude. It has been suggested that interventions to improve self-organization may save a wide range of societal costs; this study also suggests that this might also benefit cognitive function in later life.
Very few molecular genetic studies of personality traits have used longitudinal phenotypic data, therefore molecular basis for developmental change and stability of personality remains to be ...explored. We examined the role of the monoamine oxidase A gene (
) on extraversion and neuroticism from adolescence to adulthood, using modern latent variable methods. A sample of 1,160 male and 1,180 female participants with complete genotyping data was drawn from a British national birth cohort, the MRC National Survey of Health and Development (NSHD). The predictor variable was based on a latent variable representing genetic variations of the
gene measured by three SNPs (rs3788862, rs5906957, and rs979606). Latent phenotype variables were constructed using psychometric methods to represent cross-sectional and longitudinal phenotypes of extraversion and neuroticism measured at ages 16 and 26. In males, the
genetic latent variable (AAG) was associated with lower extraversion score at age 16 (β = -0.167; CI: -0.289, -0.045;
= 0.007, FDRp = 0.042), as well as greater increase in extraversion score from 16 to 26 years (β = 0.197; CI: 0.067, 0.328;
= 0.003, FDRp = 0.036). No genetic association was found for neuroticism after adjustment for multiple testing. Although, we did not find statistically significant associations after multiple testing correction in females, this result needs to be interpreted with caution due to issues related to x-inactivation in females. The latent variable method is an effective way of modeling phenotype- and genetic-based variances and may therefore improve the methodology of molecular genetic studies of complex psychological traits.
Abstract Background The prevalence of divorce in Western countries has increased in recent decades. However, there is no recent systematic review and/or meta-analysis of studies testing for long-term ...effects of parental divorce on offspring affective disorders. The present study conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies published since 1980 testing for the association between parental divorce and offspring depression and anxiety in adulthood. Method PUBMED, Science Direct, Medline, PsychInfo, and PsychArticles databases were searched for eligible studies. Random-effect meta-analyses were used to synthesize effect sizes and to test whether associations of parental divorce with offspring affective disorders differ among three publication periods (i.e., before 1996, 1996–2005, 2006–2015). Results In total, 29 studies were eligible for the systematic review, and 18 studies were included in the meta-analyses (depression: n =21,581; anxiety: n =2,472). There was significant association between parental divorce and offspring depression (OR=1.56; 95%CI 1.31, 1.86), but not anxiety (OR=1.16; 95%CI 0.98, 1.38). The effect of parental divorce on offspring depression was not weaker in the reports published in more recent decades. Limitations There is limited research in relation to offspring anxiety in adulthood. Conclusions Parental divorce is associated with an increased risk of adult offspring depression, with no indication of the effect being weaker in recent publications.
PDF
