Poster #55 - Early life factors and the intensity and directionality of adolescent mental health symptoms

• In Event: 3-003 - Poster Session 09
  In Poster Session: PS 09 Section - Developmental Psychopathology

Integrative Statement

Introduction: The early childhood environment is an important determinant of later life outcomes, including mental health problems. Studies have identified factors which increase the risk of developing internalizing and externalizing symptoms in childhood. However, few studies have tested associations between early life factors and adolescent mental health. Furthermore, no study to date has distinguished the early life factors associated with internalizing versus externalizing (i.e. directionality) mental health symptoms. Studies have shown that boys have higher levels of externalizing and girls have higher levels of internalizing symptoms. However, sex differences in the risk factors for internalizing versus externalizing problems remain mostly unexplored. Our objective was to test the associations between individual and familial factors in the first year of life and the intensity and directionality of mental health symptoms in adolescence by sex.
Method: Data from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development (QLSCD, n=1512) were used to test these associations. The QLSCD is a representative population-based birth cohort of children born in 1997-1998. Data on family and child characteristics were collected at 5 months by interviewing parents (mothers in 98% of cases). The intensity and directionality of mental health symptoms were self-reported by adolescents (15 years) using the Mental Health and Social Inadaptation Assessment for Adolescents. Linear regression models were used to test associations between early life factors and intensity and directionality scores of mental health symptoms. Multiple imputation was used to deal with missing data and inverse probability weighting for attrition. Models were ran by sex.
Results: For girls, the intensity of adolescent mental health symptoms was associated with maternal antisocial behavior in adolescence, smoking during pregnancy, and birth order after adjusting for confounders. For boys, intensity was associated with maternal antisocial behavior in adolescence after adjusting for confounders. Low socioeconomic status was associated with adolescent internalizing symptoms in girls while maternal smoking during pregnancy and antisocial behavior in adolescence were associated with externalizing symptoms in boys.
Conclusion: Socioeconomic status and maternal smoking during pregnancy were specific risk factors for the directionality of mental health symptoms in girls and boys, respectively. Maternal antisocial behavior in adolescence was associated with the intensity of both internalizing and externalizing symptoms.

Keywords: Perinatal, childhood, adolescence, mental health, QLSCD

Authors

• Mallaury Léon, GRIP
  Non-Presenting Author

• Marilyn Ahun, University of Montreal
  Presenting Author

• Massimiliano Orri, McGill University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Sylvana Côté, University of Montreal
  Non-Presenting Author