Christa Japel

The evolution of problem and social competence behaviors during toddlerhood: A prospective population-based cohort survey

Research in developmental psychopathology has long been preoccupied with rather broad categories of behavior, but we know little about the specific behaviors that comprise these categories. The objective of this study was to: (a) estimate the prevalence of problem and social competence behaviors in the general population of children at 17 months of age, and (b) describe the continuity and discontinuity in the degree to which children exhibit these behaviors between 17 and 29 months of age. The results show that frequent problem behaviors are not typical of children under two years of age. Further, the results suggest that it is possible to distinguish between different types of problem behaviors before two years of age. In addition, the results show that gender differences in some problem behaviors are already present before two years of age, and increase in magnitude during toddlerhood. Finally, the results show that interindividual differences in problem behaviors observed before two years of age are stable. The predictive accuracy of frequent problem behaviors in children at 17 months of age was limited, however, with often a majority of toddlers not behaving this way a year later. Overall, our results suggest that toddlerhood represents a critical period when behavioral and emotional problems of potentially clinical significance emerge. Pediatricians should routinely ask parents to report the frequency of their young childrens problem behaviors during child health supervision visits so that children whose frequent problem behaviors persist over time can be identified and possibly referred for treatment.

Predicting Gambling Behavior in Sixth Grade From Kindergarten Impulsivity A Tale of Developmental Continuity

OBJECTIVE To examine the relationship between early impulsive behavior, rated by kindergarten teachers, and self-reported gambling in sixth grade. DESIGN Prospective longitudinal study. SETTING The 1999 kindergarten cohort of the Montreal Longitudinal Preschool Study in Canada. PARTICIPANTS Written parental consent was obtained for 181 of the 377 children from intact families at kindergarten exclusively selected for follow-up telephone interviews in the fall of sixth grade, 6 years after the initial assessments. Of these, 163 children had complete data in kindergarten (mean age, 5.5 years) and sixth grade (mean age, 11.5 years) for the key variables in the analyses. Main Outcome Measure Self-reported gambling behavior in sixth grade. RESULTS A 1-unit increase in kindergarten impulsivity corresponded to a 25% increase in later self-reported child involvement in gambling (SE = .02). This was above and beyond potential child- and family-related confounds, including parental gambling. CONCLUSIONS Our findings offer insight about how the nature and course of early impulsivity might relate to a significantly higher propensity toward involvement in games of chance in later childhood. It is suggested that developmentally continuous risks associated with early impulsivity place individuals on a risk trajectory toward excessive gambling involvement in adolescence and emerging adulthood.

Interrelations between Maternal Smoking during Pregnancy, Birth Weight and Sociodemographic Factors in the Prediction of Early Cognitive Abilities.

Maternal prenatal smoking, birth weight and sociodemographic factors were investigated in relation to cognitive abilities of 1544 children (aged 3.5 years) participating in the Québec Longitudinal Study of Childrens Development. The Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) was used to assess verbal ability, the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-Revised (WPPSI-R) block design test to assess visuospatial ability, and the Visually Cued Recall (VCR) task to assess short-term memory. Prenatal smoking was related to performance on the WPPSI-R, the PPVT, and the VCR, although it did not independently predict any cognitive ability after maternal education was taken into account. Birth weight was a more robust predictor of all outcome measures and independently predicted VCR-performance. Birth weight interacted significantly with family income and maternal education in predicting visuospatial ability, indicating a greater influence of birth weight under relatively poor socio-economic conditions. Parenting and family functioning mediated associations between maternal education/family income and cognitive task performance under different birth weight conditions, although there were indications for stronger effects under relatively low birth weight. We conclude that investigations of moderating and mediating effects can provide insights into which children are most at risk of cognitive impairment and might benefit most from interventions.

Links Between Middle-Childhood Trajectories of Family Dysfunction and Indirect Aggression:

Using data from three waves of a large Canadian data set, this research examined the relationship between middle-childhood trajectories of family dysfunction and indirect aggression. The authors applied family systems, developmental psychopathology, and life-course conceptualizations to meet this objective. The data analytic strategy used separate multivariate logits to examine this relationship, with and without the extent to which other possible explanations (acting as control variables) predict belonging to the highest family dysfunction trajectory. These included marital transition, socioeconomic status, family size, and depressive symptoms experienced by the adult most knowledgeable about the child (mostly mothers). The authors also explored possible interactions between indirect aggression and these explanatory variables. Supporting their hypothesis for both boys and girls, prolonged-duration high doses of family dysfunction were associated with the most extreme developmental trajectories of indirect aggression during middle childhood. Results showed gender specificity with respect to the influence of the explanatory variables on family dysfunction. For girls, the link between family dysfunction and indirect aggression persisted above and beyond such contextual influences. For boys, the relationship became unimportant once contextual factors were taken into account.

DEVELOPMENT OF DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIORS IN YOUNG CHILDREN: A PROSPECTIVE POPULATION-BASED COHORT STUDY

We know relatively little about the development of disruptive behaviors (DBs), and gender differences therein. The objective of this study was to describe the continuity and discontinuity in the degree to which young children in the general population are reported to exhibit specific DBs over time. Data came from the Québec Longitudinal Study of Child Development. First, the results show that relatively few children exhibit DBs on a frequent basis at 41 months of age. Second, the results show that a majority of children who exhibit a particular DB on a frequent basis at 41 months of age did not do so 1 year earlier. In addition, a majority of children who exhibited a particular DB on a frequent basis at 29 months of age no longer do so 1 year later. Third, gender differences in DBs (boys > girls) are either emerging or at least increasing in magnitude between 29 and 41 months of age. Consistent with the canalization of the behavioral development principle, children who exhibited DBs on a frequent basis at 29 months of age are less likely to stop doing so in the following year if they had exhibited the same behaviors at 17 months of age.

Child Care Services, Socioeconomic Inequalities, and Academic Performance

OBJECTIVE: To determine if child-care services (CCS) at a population level can reduce social inequalities in academic performance until early adolescence. METHODS: A 12-year population-based prospective cohort study of families with a newborn (n = 1269). Two CCS variables were estimated: “intensity” (low, moderate, and high number of hours) and “center-based CCS type” (early onset, late onset, and never exposed to center-based CCS). RESULTS: Children from low socioeconomic status (SES) families who received high-intensity CCS (any type), compared with those who received low-intensity CCS, had significantly better reading (standardized effect size [ES] = 0.37), writing (ES = 0.37), and mathematics (ES = 0.46) scores. Children from low-SES families who received center-based CCS, compared with those who never attended center care, had significantly better reading (ESearly onset = 0.68; ESlate onset = 0.37), writing (ESearly onset = 0.79), and mathematics (ESearly onset = 0.66; ESlate onset = 0.39) scores. Furthermore, early participation in center-based CCS eliminated the differences between children of low and adequate SES on all 3 examinations (ES = –0.01, 0.13, and –0.02 for reading, writing, and mathematics, respectively). These results were obtained while controlling for a wide range of child and family variables from birth to school entry. CONCLUSIONS: Child care services (any type) can reduce the social inequalities in academic performance up to early adolescence, while early participation in center-based CCS can eliminate this inequality. CCS use, especially early participation in center-based CCS, should be strongly encouraged for children growing up in a low-SES family.

Does Early Emotional Distress Predict Later Child Involvement in Gambling

Objective: Younger people are engaging in gambling, with some showing excessive involvement. Although a consequence of gambling could be anxiety and depression, emotional distress could be a precursor to gambling involvement. This could reflect developmental proneness toward problem behaviour. We assessed whether early emotional distress directly influences later gambling or if it operates through an indirect pathway. Methods: Using a prospective longitudinal design, an intentional subsample of children from the 1999 kindergarten cohort of the Montreal Longitudinal Preschool Study (Quebec) from intact families were retraced in 2005 for follow-up in Grade 6. Consenting parents and children were separately interviewed. Key child variables and sources included kindergarten teacher ratings of emotional distress and impulsivity and self-reported parent and child gambling. Results: Higher levels of teacher-rated emotional distress in kindergarten significantly predicted a higher propensity toward later gambling behaviour. Impulsivity, a factor often comorbidly present with emotional distress, completely explained this predictive relation above and beyond potential child- and family-related confounds, including parental gambling. Conclusions: Children with higher levels of emotional distress at kindergarten were more inclined toward child gambling behaviour in Grade 6. The influence of early emotional distress completely vanished when behaviours reflecting impulsivity were considered when predicting later child gambling behaviour. The relation between emotional distress and child gambling involvement in children was thus explained by its comorbidity with early impulsivity. This study does not rule out the possibility that emotional distress could become a correlate or consequence of excessive involvement in gambling activities at a later developmental period.

Psychometric properties of the Mental Health and Social Inadaptation Assessment for Adolescents (MIA) in a population-based sample

We report on the psychometric properties of the Mental Health and Social Inadaptation Assessment for Adolescents (MIA), a self‐report instrument for quantifying the frequency of mental health and psychosocial adaptation problems using a dimensional approach and based on the DSM‐5. The instrument includes 113 questions, takes 20–25 minutes to answer, and covers the past 12 months. A population‐based cohort of adolescents (n = 1443, age = 15 years; 48% males) rated the frequency at which they experienced symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Conduct Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Depression, Generalized Anxiety, Social Phobia, Eating Disorders (i.e. DSM disorders), Self‐harm, Delinquency, Psychopathy as well as social adaptation problems (e.g. aggression). They also rated interference with functioning in four contexts (family, friends, school, daily life). Reliability analyses indicated good to excellent internal consistency for most scales (alpha = 0.70–0.97) except Psychopathy (alpha = 0.46). The hypothesized structure of the instrument showed acceptable fit according to confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) [Chi‐square (4155) = 9776.2, p = 0.000; Chi‐square/DF = 2.35; root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.031; Comparative Fit Index (CFI) = 0.864], and good convergent and discriminant validity according to multitrait‐multimethods analysis. This initial study showed adequate internal validity and reliability of the MIA. Our findings open the way for further studies investigating other validity aspects, which are necessary before recommending the wide use of the MIA in research and clinical settings.

Developmental associations between victimization and body mass index from 3 to 10 years in a population sample: Victimisation and Obesity: Longitudinal Associations

In the current prospective study, we investigated (1) whether high and low BMI in early childhood puts a child at risk of victimization by their peers, and (2) whether being victimized increases BMI over the short- and long-term, independent of the effect of BMI on victimization. We also examined whether gender moderated these prospective associations. Participants were 1,344 children who were assessed yearly from ages 3 to 10 years as part of the Québec Longitudinal Study of Child Development (QLSCD). BMI predicted annual increases in victimization for girls aged 6 years and over; for boys aged 7 and 8 years of age, higher BMI reduced victimization over the school year. Further, victimization predicted annual increases in BMI for girls after age 6 years. When these short-term effects were held constant, victimization was also shown to have a three and 5-year influence on annual BMI changes for girls from age 3 years. These short- and long-term cross-lagged effects were evident when the effects of family adversity were controlled. The findings support those from previous prospective research showing a link between higher BMI and victimization, but only for girls. Further, being victimized increased the likelihood that girls would put on weight over time, which then increased future victimization. The implications of these prospective findings for interventions are considered. Aggr. Behav. 42:109-122, 2015.