BackgroundPsychotic experiences (PEs) are common in childhood and adolescence and their association with mental disorders is well-established. We aim to conduct a quantitative synthesis the literature on the relationship between childhood and adolescent PEs and (i) any mental disorder; and (ii) specific categories of mental disorder, while stratifying by study design.MethodThree electronic databases (PUBMED, PsycINFO and EMBASE) were searched from inception to August 2017 for all the published literature on childhood and adolescent PEs and mental disorder (outcome) in non-help-seeking community samples. Study quality was assessed using a recognised quality assessment tool for observational studies. Two authors conducted independent data extraction. Pooled odds ratios were calculated for mental disorders using random-effects models. Additional analyses were conducted investigating different categories of mental disorder while stratifying by study design.ResultsFourteen studies from 13 community samples (n = 29 517) were identified with 9.8% of participants reporting PEs. PEs were associated with a three-fold increased risk of any mental disorder [odds ratio (OR) 3.08, confidence interval (CI) 2.26–4.21, k = 12]. PEs were associated with four-fold increase risk of psychotic disorder (OR 3.96, CI 2.03–7.73, population-attributable-fraction: 23.2%, k = 5). In addition, PEs were associated with an increased risk of affective disorders, anxiety disorders, behavioural disorders and substance-use disorders. Few longitudinal studies have investigated childhood and adolescent PEs and subsequent non-psychotic disorders which limited a meaningful synthesis and interpretation of these results.ConclusionThis meta-analysis confirms that PEs are prevalent in childhood and adolescent community samples and are associated with a variety of mental disorders beyond psychotic disorders. Further longitudinal research is necessary to fully determine the longitudinal relationship between PEs and non-psychotic disorders.

Objective Exposure to prenatal stress is a ubiquitous and non‐specific risk factor for adverse outcomes in adulthood. In this study, we examined associations between exposure to subjective maternal stress during pregnancy and subsequent diagnosis of psychiatric disorders in offspring. Method This study used the Helsinki Longitudinal Temperament Cohort, a prospective birth cohort of individuals born between 1 July 1975 and 30 June 1976 in Helsinki, Finland. The sample for this study comprised 3626 infants whose mothers had completed health and well‐being assessments during pregnancy which included a measure of self‐reported stress. We ran logistic regressions to assess potential associations between prenatal stress and offspring psychiatric disorder in adulthood, identified through the Finnish Hospital Discharge Register. Results Individuals whose mothers reported stress during pregnancy had significantly greater odds of developing a psychiatric disorder (OR = 1.41, 95% CI = 1.10–1.81) particularly a mood disorder (OR = 1.67, 95% CI = 1.10–2.54). These associations remained after adjusting for parental psychiatric history, and other prenatal factors. Conclusions Individuals exposed to prenatal stress had significantly increased risk of developing psychiatric disorders later in life. This finding highlights the importance of supporting the mental health and emotional well‐being of women during pregnancy.

BackgroundMany studies have reported associations between prenatal stress and the development of psychotic, anxiety and depressive disorders; however, to date no studies have investigated potential associations with personality disorders.AimsThis study investigated potential associations between exposure to prenatal stress and personality disorder in offspring.MethodIn a subsample (N = 3626) of a large Finnish birth cohort, we used logistic regression models to examine associations between self-reported maternal stress during pregnancy, collected monthly during antenatal clinic appointments, and personality disorder in offspring. Familial and outcome information were obtained by linking data from the Finnish Hospital Discharge Register and the Finnish Population Register.ResultsCompared with those unexposed, children exposed to any maternal stress during gestation had three times the odds of developing a personality disorder (odds ratio 2.76, 95% CI 1.59–4.80, P = 0.000). Those exposed to moderate stress had three times the odds (odds ratio 3.13, 95% CI 1.42–6.88, P = 0.005) and those exposed to severe stress had seven times the odds (odds ratio 7.06, 95% CI 2.10–23.81, P = 0.002) of developing a personality disorder. These associations remained after adjusting for parental psychiatric history, comorbid psychiatric diagnoses, prenatal smoking and antenatal depression.*ConclusionsExposure to stress during gestation increases the odds of personality disorder in offspring, independent of other psychiatric disorders. These results suggest the assessment of maternal stress and well-being during pregnancy may be useful in identifying those at greatest risk of developing personality disorder, and highlight the importance of prenatal care for good maternal mental health during pregnancy.

Time perspective refers to the non-conscious parcelling of personal and social experiences into temporal categories, and is an important construct in the psychology of time. Another important factor in time's influence on behavioural and psychological processes relates to the circadian timing system, which intrinsically produces daily rhythms in a host of parameters. This circadian timing system underpins timing of sleep/wake behaviour. Further, circadian timing is related to, but not synonymous with, diurnal preference for the timing of sleep/wake during different parts of the 24 h day. However, the exact nature of the relationship of diurnal preference to the underlying circadian clock is not elucidated. Previous research has indicated associations between time perspective and diurnal preference. In the current study we have examined the nature of the interrelationships between circadian phase of entrainment (assessed with the Munich Chronotype Questionnaire), diurnal preference (assessed with the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire) and time perspectives in a sample of 193 adults. Both circadian phase and diurnal preference associate with present and future time perspectives, although when considered together in regression models, only diurnal preference predicts time preference. Further, we examined whether time perspectives might moderate the relationship between circadian phase of entrainment and diurnal preference, and find that this relationship is significantly moderated by present time perspectives, but not future time perspectives. These results indicate the intricate nature of interactions between domains of psychological and biological time.

IMPORTANCEThe understanding of the development of psychopathology has been hampered by a reliance on cross-sectional data and symptom-or disorder-centered methods. Person-centered methods can accommodate both the problems of comorbidity and the movement between different psychopathological states at different phases of development. OBJECTIVE To examine the profiles and map the trajectories of psychopathology from early childhood to late adolescence. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This cohort study used 2 longitudinal nationally representative community-based cohorts from the Growing Up in Ireland study covering developmental periods from early childhood to late adolescence. Data in this investigation came from children and their families who participated in all waves of cohorts recruited in 2008 (children ages 3, 5, and 9 years) and 1998 (adolescents ages 9, 13, and 17 or 18 years). Both samples were weighted to account for representation and attrition. Latent transition analyses were used to map the trajectories of psychopathology. Data were analyzed between October 2020 and September 2021. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Psychopathology was measured using the Strengths andDifficulties Questionnaire at all ages in both samples.RESULTS A total of 13 546 individuals were included in the analyses. In the child cohort, mean (SD) age was 3.0 [0.01] years; 3852 (51.3%) were male participants. In the adolescent cohort, mean age was 9.0 (0.1) years; 3082 (51.0%) were male participants. Four profiles were identified in both cohorts that could be broadly labeled as no psychopathology (incidence range, 60%-70%), high psychopathology (incidence range, 3%-5%), externalizing problems (incidence range, 15%-25%), and internalizing problems (incidence range, 7%-12%). Transition between the profiles was common in both cohorts, with 3649 of 7507 participants (48.6%) in the child cohort and 2661 of 6039 participants (44.1%) in the adolescent cohort moving into 1 of the 3 psychopathology profiles at some point in development. Transition to the high psychopathology profile was most often preceded by externalizing problems. Approximately 3% to 4% of the sample had persistent psychopathology (child cohort, 203 participants [2.7%]; adolescent cohort, 216 participants [3.6%]). All psychopathology profiles were more common in boys in early life but, by late adolescence, girls were more likely to have internalizing problems. In a cross-cohort comparison at age 9, there were differences in the sex distributions of the profiles between the samples. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCEUsing person-centered methods, this study demonstrated that from early life young peoples' experience of psychopathology is dynamic-they can move between different mental health problems; for most children, these problems are transient, but a small (continued) Key Points Question How can the profiles and trajectories of psychopathology from early life (age 3 years) to late adolescence (age 17 years) be mapped with person-centered methods to accommodate problems of comorbidit...