Umar Toseeb

Exercise and depressive symptoms in adolescents: a longitudinal cohort study

IMPORTANCE Physical activity (PA) may have a positive effect on depressed mood. However, whether it can act as a protective factor against developing depressive symptoms in adolescence is largely unknown. OBJECTIVE To investigate the association between objectively measured PA and depressive symptoms during 3 years of adolescence. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS We performed a longitudinal study between November 1, 2005, and January 31, 2010, of a community-based sample from Cambridgeshire and Suffolk, United Kingdom, that included 736 participants (mean [SD] age, 14.5 years [6 months]). The follow-up period was approximately 3 years after baseline (the ROOTS study). Linear regression models were fitted using physical activity energy expenditure (PAEE) and moderate and vigorous physical activity (MVPA) as the predictors and depressive symptoms as the outcome variable. Binomial logistic regression models were also fitted using PAEE and MVPA as the predictors and clinical depression as the outcome measure. EXPOSURES Exercise. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Individually calibrated heart rate and movement sensing were used to measure PA at baseline only. Physical activity summary measures included total PAEE and time spent in MVPA. These measures were divided into weekend and weekday activity. All participants also completed the Mood and Feelings Questionnaire, a self-report measure of current depressive symptoms, and took part in a Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children-Present and Lifetime Version interview at baseline and 3 years later. RESULTS Depressive symptoms at 3-year follow-up were not significantly predicted by any of the 4 PA measures at baseline: weekend MVPA (unstandardized β = 0.02; 95% CI, -0.15 to 0.20; P = .79), weekday MVPA (β = 0.00; 95% CI, -0.17 to 0.17; P = .99), weekend PAEE (β = 0.03; 95% CI, -0.14 to 0.20; P = .75), and weekday PAEE (β = -0.03; 95% CI, -0.20 to 0.14; P = .71). This was also true for major depressive disorder diagnoses at follow-up: weekend MVPA (odds ratio [OR], 1.37; 95% CI, 0.76-2.48; P = .30), weekday MVPA (OR, 1.33; 95% CI, 0.74-2.37; P = .34), weekend PAEE (OR, 1.19; 95% CI, 0.67-2.10; P = .56), and weekday PAEE (OR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.52-1.63; P = .78). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE No longitudinal association between objectively measured PA and the development of depressive symptoms was observed in this large population-based sample. These results do not support the hypothesis that PA protects against developing depressive symptoms in adolescence.

The Significance of Hair for Face Recognition

Hair is a feature of the head that frequently changes in different situations. For this reason much research in the area of face perception has employed stimuli without hair. To investigate the effect of the presence of hair we used faces with and without hair in a recognition task. Participants took part in trials in which the state of the hair either remained consistent (Same) or switched between learning and test (Switch). It was found that in the Same trials performance did not differ for stimuli presented with and without hair. This implies that there is sufficient information in the internal features of the face for optimal performance in this task. It was also found that performance in the Switch trials was substantially lower than in the Same trials. This drop in accuracy when the stimuli were switched suggests that faces are represented in a holistic manner and that manipulation of the hair causes disruption to this, with implications for the interpretation of some previous studies.

Online Social Networking Sites and Mental Health Research

Socializing and networking was transformed in the technological era by the introduction of social networking sites (SNSs). These online sites contain an abundance of information about individual preferences, interests, types, and frequency of social interactions, etc. However, scientific studies that have utilized SNS activity data to aid our understanding of mental health disorders are scarce. This is partly due to the practicalities of accessing SNS data and methodological issues of large-scale data collection, but also because the construct validity of SNS measures is unknown. By and large, the literature to date has attempted to link various SNSs measures to various mental health symptomologies, mostly collected using self-report measures rather than data generated by SNSs. Although such research has demonstrated some preliminary and putative associations between SNS activity and mental health measures, the current literature is still in its infancy and arguably lacks rigor in design, offering limited insights into its theoretical significance and plausibility. In this review, we will provide an account of the theoretical importance of using data generated from SNSs in mental health research and provide a brief overview of the literature published in this area to date.

In vivo cholinergic basal forebrain atrophy predicts cognitive decline in de novo Parkinson’s disease

See Gratwicke and Foltynie (doi:10.1093/brain/awx333) for a scientific commentary on this article. Cognitive impairments in Parkinson’s disease show variable onset, severity and progression. Ray et al. demonstrate that the future cognitive status of newly diagnosed patients can be predicted from the volume of the nucleus basalis of Meynert, with implications for the development of interventions for cognitive decline in Parkinson’s disease dementia.

The Muslim Headscarf and Face Perception: “They All Look the Same, Don't They?”

The headscarf conceals hair and other external features of a head (such as the ears). It therefore may have implications for the way in which such faces are perceived. Images of faces with hair (H) or alternatively, covered by a headscarf (HS) were used in three experiments. In Experiment 1 participants saw both H and HS faces in a yes/no recognition task in which the external features either remained the same between learning and test (Same) or switched (Switch). Performance was similar for H and HS faces in both the Same and Switch condition, but in the Switch condition it dropped substantially compared to the Same condition. This implies that the mere presence of the headscarf does not reduce performance, rather, the change between the type of external feature (hair or headscarf) causes the drop in performance. In Experiment 2, which used eye-tracking methodology, it was found that almost all fixations were to internal regions, and that there was no difference in the proportion of fixations to external features between the Same and Switch conditions, implying that the headscarf influenced processing by virtue of extrafoveal viewing. In Experiment 3, similarity ratings of the internal features of pairs of HS faces were higher than pairs of H faces, confirming that the internal and external features of a face are perceived as a whole rather than as separate components.

Prosociality from early adolescence to young adulthood: A longitudinal study of individuals with a history of language impairment

Highlights • This is the first longitudinal study of prosociality in young adults with LI.• Participants with LI perceived themselves as prosocial.• Ratings remained within the expected range across young adulthood (11–24 years).• Two different developmental trajectories were identified for the LI group.• Small to medium effects were found indicating protective effects of prosociality into adulthood.

Emotional health, support, and self-efficacy in young adults with a history of language impairment

Children and adolescents with language impairment (LI) are at risk of emotional health difficulties. However, less is known about whether these difficulties continue into adulthood for this group, or about the potential role of environmental resources (e.g., social support) or internal resources (e.g., self‐efficacy). This study investigates emotional health in 81 adults with a history of developmental LI (aged 24) compared with 87 age‐matched peers (AMPs) using Beck Inventories. Social support and self‐efficacy measures were examined as predictors. The results were fourfold: (1) adults with LI had higher levels of emotional health problems; (2) whilst the availability of social support was similar across groups, people with LI received more help from others compared to peers; (3) social support was not significantly related to emotional health in those with LI – in contrast, for AMPs, uptake of support indicated poorer emotional health; (4) self‐efficacy was the strongest predictor of emotional health in both groups and fully mediated the relationship between language and emotional health (no moderation by group). This cross‐sectional study has implications for concurrent factors that might affect emotional health outcomes for children and young people with and without LI.

EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT OUTCOMES OF YOUNG ADULTS WITH A HISTORY OF DEVELOPMENTAL LANGUAGE DISORDER

Abstract Background Developmental language disorder (DLD) presents a considerable barrier for young adults to engage in further education and training. Early studies with young adults with DLD revealed poor educational achievement and lack of opportunities to progress in education. More recent studies have provided more positive findings. Relatively sparse data exist, however, on current cohorts and the factors that predict outcomes. Aims To examine educational and employment outcomes in young adulthood in a sample of people with histories of DLD compared with an age‐matched peer group without DLD. We ask: How do educational pathways and early jobs compare between those with and without DLD? Are young adults with DLD receiving similar levels of income as their peers? To what extent are language and literacy abilities associated with outcomes? Methods & Procedures Participants included 84 individuals with DLD (67% males) and 88 age‐matched peers without DLD (56% males). Participants were on average 24 years of age. They completed a battery of psycholinguistic, literacy and nonverbal skills assessments. Data were also collected on educational qualifications, current educational status, extent of educational support received, employment status, history and support, as well as current income. Outcomes & Results Those with DLD obtained lower academic and vocational qualifications. Higher educational/vocational qualifications were associated with better language, better reading and higher performance IQ (PIQ). There were few differences between the two groups in terms of engagement with education, but the mean age at leaving education was significantly earlier in the participants with DLD. Substantially more participants with DLD reported receiving support or dispensation from their educational institution. There was no significant difference between groups in the proportion of young people currently employed, though a higher proportion of the age‐matched peers was in work full time. Participants with DLD were much more likely to be in non‐professional occupations. However, when examining pay in relation to types of occupation, the groups’ incomes were broadly comparable. Conclusions & Implications At the group level, young people with a history of DLD more commonly have less skilled employment and more rarely achieve professional roles. At the individual level there is considerable variation with smaller but not trivial proportions of young adults with a history of DLD showing good educational and employment outcomes. There are positive aspects to early adult outcomes for some young people with a history of DLD.

Characterising the latent structure and organisation of self-reported thoughts, feelings and behaviours in adolescents and young adults

Little is known about the underlying relationships between self-reported mental health items measuring both positive and negative emotional and behavioural symptoms at the population level in young people. Improved measurement of the full range of mental well-being and mental illness may aid in understanding the aetiological substrates underlying the development of both mental wellness as well as specific psychiatric diagnoses. A general population sample aged 14 to 24 years completed self-report questionnaires on anxiety, depression, psychotic-like symptoms, obsessionality and well-being. Exploratory and confirmatory factor models for categorical data and latent profile analyses were used to evaluate the structure of both mental wellness and illness items. First order, second order and bifactor structures were evaluated on 118 self-reported items obtained from 2228 participants. A bifactor solution was the best fitting latent variable model with one general latent factor termed ‘distress’ and five ‘distress independent’ specific factors defined as self-confidence, antisocial behaviour, worry, aberrant thinking, and mood. Next, six distinct subgroups were derived from a person-centred latent profile analysis of the factor scores. Finally, concurrent validity was assessed using information on hazardous behaviours (alcohol use, substance misuse, self-harm) and treatment for mental ill health: both discriminated between the latent traits and latent profile subgroups. The findings suggest a complex, multidimensional mental health structure in the youth population rather than the previously assumed first or second order factor structure. Additionally, the analysis revealed a low hazardous behaviour/low mental illness risk subgroup not previously described. Population sub-groups show greater validity over single variable factors in revealing mental illness risks. In conclusion, our findings indicate that the structure of self reported mental health is multidimensional in nature and uniquely finds improved prediction to mental illness risk within person-centred subgroups derived from the multidimensional latent traits.

Conduct problems co-occur with hyperactivity in children with language impairment: A longitudinal study from childhood to adolescence

Background Language impairment is a common developmental disorder which is frequently associated with externalising problems. In this study, we investigate for the first time, joint trajectories of conduct problems and hyperactivity in children with language impairment from childhood to adolescence. We determine patterns of co-occurrence of symptoms and identify specific risk and protective factors. Methods We develop a trajectory grouping method to examine simultaneously the conduct and hyperactivity problem scores of 164 children with language impairment at 7, 8, 11 and 16 years of age. Results We identified five groups of children with distinct trajectories of symptoms. Three trajectory groups all had different conduct/hyperactivity problems: a persistent problems group (15%), an adolescent-onset group (24%) and a childhood-limited group (17%). There were two trajectory groups that did not show conduct problems. Conclusions Conduct problems always co-occurred with hyperactivity in children with language impairment regardless of differences in the onset of symptoms (childhood versus adolescence) or their persistence (persistent versus childhood limited). Reading difficulties were strongly associated with mixed conduct/hyperactivity problems that started early (childhood) and continued into adolescence (the persistent trajectory group). Prosocial behaviours were found to be protective against conduct problems.