Screening in early childhood for risk of later mental health problems: A longitudinal study

Abstract

Depression in childhood or adolescence is associated with increased rates of depression in adulthood. Does this justify efforts to detect (and treat) those with symptoms of depression in early childhood or adolescence? The aim of this study was to determine how well symptoms of anxiety/depression (A-D) in early childhood and adolescence predict adult mental health. The study sample is taken from a population-based prospective birth cohort study. Of the 8556 mothers initially approached to participate 8458 agreed, of whom 7223 mothers gave birth to a live singleton baby. Children were screened using modified Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) scales for internalizing and total problems (T-P) at age 5 and the CBCL and Youth Self Report (YSR) A-D subscale and T-P scale at age 14. At age 21, a sub-sample of 2563 young adults in this cohort were administered the CIDI-Auto. Results indicated that screening at age 5 would detect few later cases of significant mental ill-health. Using a cut-point of 20% for internalizing at child age 5 years the CBCL had sensitivities of only 25% and 18% for major depression and anxiety disorders at 21 years, respectively. At age 14, the YSR generally performed a little better than the CBCL as a screening instrument, but neither performed at a satisfactory level. Of the children who were categorised as having YSR A-D at 14 years 30% and 37% met DSM-IV criteria for major depression and anxiety disorders, respectively, at age 21. Our findings challenge an existing movement encouraging the detection and treatment of those with symptoms of mental illness in early childhood.

Early Findings of Preventive Child Healthcare Professionals Predict Psychosocial Problems in Preadolescence: The TRAILS Study

“…A second explanation for this might simply be that few early childhood features are predictive for later emotional problems. 23,28,[32][33][34] A third possibility is that PCH professionals might not be adequately identifying or registering those factors that are predictive.…”

Childhood and adolescent psychopathology and subsequent tobacco smoking in young adults: findings from an Australian birth cohort

“…The cohort consists of 7,223 live singleton babies who were not adopted out. This represents 87% of all women who attended the antenatal clinic during the study period [10]. Data is restricted to the offspring for whom information was available at the 21 years follow-up.…”

“…Their offspring self-completed questionnaires at the 14 and 21 year follow-ups. At the 21 year follow-up the average age of participating offspring was 20.4 years (SD=0.8), 51.0% were female, 24.6% had tertiary education, 54.6% had completed high school and 20.8% had some primary or secondary school education [10]. Response rates were maximized by using a range of strategies.…”

“…There is consistent evidence for an association between tobacco smoking and mental illness [1][2][3][4][5], particularly depression [6][7][8][9][10][11][12] and anxiety [1,2]. Smoking is associated with higher rates of anxiety and affective disorders, with current smokers reporting greater psychological distress and mental illness diagnoses than non-smokers [2].…”

Evaluación de la sintomatología depresiva en el contexto escolar y variables asociadas

“…La depresión en la edad adulta está asociada con la depresión en la infancia y en la adolescencia, por lo que, en la actualidad, se da prioridad a la detección precoz de la sintomatología depresiva en la población infantil (Najman et al, 2008). La presencia de la depresión a edades tempranas se ha relacionado con problemas en el ajuste psicosocial, presentando los niños con sintomatología depresiva dificultades en el ámbito familiar, escolar y en las relaciones con los compañeros (Levendosky, Okun y Parker, 1995).…”