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Biomedical subjects

D M Fergusson

Publications and source records attributed to D M Fergusson.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2000

Alcohol abuse and crime: a fixed-effects regression analysis.

AIMS: To examine linkages between patterns of alcohol abuse and crime in a New Zealand birth cohort studied to the age of 21 taking into account confounding factors through the use of fixed-effects regression methods. MEASUREMENTS: Over the period from age 15-21 years assessments were made of: (a) involvement in violent and property crime; and (b) extent (if any) of alcohol abuse/dependence symptoms. In addition, information was gathered on a number of social and contextual factors that were likely to be related to alcohol abuse or crime. FINDINGS: Increasing alcohol abuse was associated with clear and significant (p < 0.0001) increases in rates of both violent and property crime. Control for observed and non-observed confounding through the use of fixed-effects regression models indicated that much of this association was attributable to the effects of confounding factors that were associated with both alcohol abuse and crime. None the less, even after such control alcohol abuse remained significantly related to both violent and property offending. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest the presence of a possible causal association between alcohol abuse and juvenile offending that is evident after control for both observed and non observed sources of confounding.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Does cannabis use encourage other forms of illicit drug use?

AIMS: To examine the relationship between cannabis use in adolescence and the onset of other illicit drug use. METHOD: Data were gathered over the course of a 21-year longitudinal study of a birth cohort of 1265 New Zealand children. Measures analysed included: (a) frequency of cannabis use and other illicit drugs from 15-21; (b) family, social, educational and behavioural backgrounds of cohort members prior to 15; and (c) adolescent life-style variables. FINDINGS: (i) By 21, nearly 70% of cohort members and used cannabis and 26% had used other illicit drugs. (ii) In all but three cases, the use of cannabis had preceded the use of illicit drugs. (iii) Those using cannabis on more than 50 occasions a year had hazards of other illicit drug use that were 140 times higher than non-users. (iv) After adjustment for covariate factors, including childhood factors, family factors and adolescent life-style factors, cannabis use remained strongly related to the onset of other forms of illicit drug use. Those using cannabis on more than 50 occasions per year had hazards of other illicit drug use that were 59.2 times higher than non-users. CONCLUSIONS: Findings support the view that cannabis may act as a gateway drug that encourages other forms of illicit drug use. None the less, the possibility remains that the association is non-causal and reflects factors that were not adequately controlled in the analysis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Driving outcomes of young people with attentional difficulties in adolescence.

OBJECTIVE: To examine associations between attentional difficulties at age 13 and a range of adverse driving outcomes measured at 21 years. METHOD: Data were gathered over the course of a 21-year longitudinal study of a birth cohort of 1,265 New Zealand children. Data collection included the following: (1) parent and teacher report measures of attentional difficulties (13 years); (2) measures of driving behavior, including involvement in an accident, drinking and driving, and traffic violations (18-21 years); and (3) measures of a range of potentially confounding individual, sociofamilial, and driving-related factors. RESULTS: Young people with high levels of attentional difficulties were at greater risk of involvement in a motor vehicle accident, drinking and driving, and traffic violations. These associations were largely explained by the personal characteristics (gender, conduct problems) and driving experience (length of time respondent held a license, distance driven) of young people with attentional difficulties. Even after adjustment for the effects of confounding factors, adolescent attentional difficulties placed young people at increased risk of an injury accident, driving without a license, and other traffic violations. CONCLUSIONS: Associations between adolescent attentional difficulties and subsequent driving risks largely reflect the effects of confounding factors correlated with attentional difficulties and driving outcomes. However, even after adjustment for confounding, adolescent attentional difficulties contributed to later injury accident risk and possibly also to risky driving behavior.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed2000

Childhood peer relationship problems and later risks of educational under-achievement and unemployment.

This paper examines relations between the extent of children's peer relationship problems at age 9 and their later risks of educational under-achievement and unemployment by the age of 18 years. Results showed that children with high rates of early peer relationship problems were at increased risk of under-achievement and unemployment when compared with children with low rates of early peer relationship problems. These elevated educational and occupational risks were explained by two processes. First, associations between early peer difficulties and later disadvantage were in part noncausal, and arose because of the personal characteristics (IQ and attentional problems) and social backgrounds (socioeconomic adversity, exposure to parental change, and punitive parent-child interaction) of children with early peer problems. Second, problematic peer relations during childhood appeared to place young people at increased risk of a range of adolescent interpersonal and school-related difficulties, including weaker peer attachments, interpersonal problems with teachers, school truancy, suspension, and early school leaving. In turn, these experiences and behaviours served to reduce the educational and employment opportunities of children with early peer problems. Results highlight the importance of childhood peer relationships for academic and occupational success.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Educational, psychosocial, and sexual outcomes of girls with conduct problems in early adolescence.

This paper examines the extent to which conduct problems at age 13 are associated with a range of educational, psychosocial, and sexual outcomes at age 18 in a birth cohort of 488 young women. Significant associations were found between early adolescent conduct problems and later risks of educational failure, juvenile crime, substance abuse, mental health problems, and adverse sexual outcomes by late adolescence. These elevated risks were explained, in part, by social, family, and personal disadvantages associated with adjustment at age 13. In addition, there was evidence of a causal chain process in which early adolescent conduct problems were associated with a series of adolescent risk-taking behaviours, including delinquent peer affiliations, early-onset sexual behaviour, substance use, and school problems that were, in turn, associated with increased risks of later adverse outcomes.

Achievement↗
PubMed1999

Is sexual orientation related to mental health problems and suicidality in young people?

BACKGROUND: This study examines the extent to which gay, lesbian, and bisexual young people are at increased risk of psychiatric disorder and suicidal behaviors using data gathered on a New Zealand birth cohort studied to age 21 years. METHODS: Data were gathered during the course of the Christchurch Health and Development Study, a 21-year longitudinal study of a birth cohort of 1265 children born in Christchurch, New Zealand. At 21 years of age, 1007 sample members were questioned about their sexual orientation and relationships with same-sex partners since the age of 16 years. Twenty-eight subjects (2.8%) were classified as being of gay, lesbian, or bisexual sexual orientation. Over the period from age 14 to 21 years, data were gathered on a range of psychiatric disorders that included major depression, generalized anxiety disorder, conduct disorder, and substance use disorders. Data were also gathered on suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. RESULTS: Gay, lesbian, and bisexual young people were at increased risks of major depression (odds ratio [OR], 4.0; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.8-9.3), generalized anxiety disorder (OR, 2.8; 95% CI, 1.2-6.5), conduct disorder (OR, 3.8; 95% CI, 1.7-8.7), nicotine dependence (OR, 5.0; 95%, CI, 2.3-10.9), other substance abuse and/or dependence (OR, 1.9; 95% CI, 0.9-4.2), multiple disorders (OR, 5.9; 95% CI, 2.4-14.8), suicidal ideation (OR, 5.4; 95% CI, 2.4-12.2), and suicide attempts (OR, 6.2; 95% CI, 2.7-14.3). CONCLUSIONS: Findings support recent evidence suggesting that gay, lesbian, and bisexual young people are at increased risk of mental health problems, with these associations being particularly evident for measures of suicidal behavior and multiple disorder.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Early conduct problems and later risk of teenage pregnancy in girls.

The relationship between conduct problems at age 8 years and teenage pregnancy by the age of 18 years was analyzed in a birth cohort of 491 girls. A statistically significant association was found between early conduct problems and later risk of teenage pregnancy, with girls in the most disturbed 10% of the cohort having a pregnancy rate that was 5.3 times higher (p < .001) than the rate found in the least disturbed 50% of the cohort. The elevated risk of teenage pregnancy amongst girls with early conduct problems was in part, explained by social and family factors that were correlated with early conduct problems, and in part, by a causal chain process in which early conduct problems were associated with increased rates of risk taking behaviors in adolescence, which in turn led to an increased risk of teenage pregnancy. These results suggest that the higher rate of teenage pregnancy among girls with early conduct problems reflected both their relatively disadvantaged family backgrounds and their tendencies to risk taking behavior in adolescence.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Childhood peer relationship problems and young people's involvement with deviant peers in adolescence.

Using prospective longitudinal data from the Christchurch Health and Development Study, this article examined the relationship between children's peer relationship problems in middle childhood and their subsequent risk of forming deviant peer affiliations in adolescence. The analysis proceeded in three steps. First, a structural equation model demonstrated a moderate association between early peer relationship problems and later deviant peer affiliations (r = .27). Second, the model was extended to include a latent variable measure of early conduct problems. This analysis revealed that when the confounding effects of concurrently measured conduct problems were taken into account, peer relationship problems in middle childhood were no longer significantly related to young people's choice of deviant peers in adolescence. Third, the model was further extended to include lagged variables, permitting an examination of possible reciprocal relationships between early conduct problems and peer relationship problems. Results suggested that both early peer relationship problems and adolescent deviant peer involvement are symptomatic of early child behavioral adjustment. The implications of these findings for explanations of deviant peer selection are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Childhood peer relationship problems and psychosocial adjustment in late adolescence.

Using prospective longitudinal data from the Christchurch Health and Development Study, this paper examined the relationship between teacher reported peer relationship problems at age 9 and psychosocial adjustment in late adolescence. Results showed that, by age 18, children with high rates of early peer relationship problems were at increased risk of externalizing behavior problems such as criminal offending and substance abuse, but were not at increased risk of anxiety disorder or major depression. Subsequent analyses revealed that these associations were largely explained by the effects of child and family factors associated with both early peer relationship problems and later adjustment. The most influential variable in explaining associations between peer relationship problems and later adjustment was the extent of children's early conduct problems. These results suggest that reported associations between early peer problems and later adjustment are noncausal, and appear to reflect underlying continuities in behavioral adjustment.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Breast feeding and later psychosocial adjustment.

The relationship between the duration of breast feeding and psychosocial outcomes measured between the ages of 15 and 18 years was examined in a birth cohort of 999 New Zealand children. During the period from birth to 1 year, information was collected on maternal breast-feeding practices. Between the ages of 15 and 18 years, sample members were assessed using a range of psychosocial measures, including measures of the quality of parent-child relationships, juvenile delinquency, substance abuse and mental health. Children who were breast fed for a longer duration were more likely to report higher levels of parental attachment and tended to perceive their mothers as being more caring and less overprotective towards them compared with bottle-fed children. No association was found between the extent of breast feeding and subsequent rates of juvenile offending, substance use and mental health in later life. Mothers who elected to breast feed were also more likely to be older, better educated, living with a partner, less likely to smoke during pregnancy, and to come from advantaged socio-economic backgrounds characterised by better living standards and a higher family income. Rates of breast feeding were also greater among mothers who gave birth to a first-born child of higher birthweight. After adjustment for these maternal and perinatal factors, the duration of breast feeding remained significantly associated with adolescent perceptions of maternal care, with increasing duration of breast feeding being associated with higher levels of perceived maternal care during childhood. It is concluded that: (a) it is unlikely that breast feeding is associated with reduced risks of psychiatric disorder in later life; (b) breast feeding may lead to closer parent-child relationships; and (c) it is unlikely that the association between breast feeding and cognitive development is mediated by intervening processes relating to improved psychosocial adjustment in breast-fed children.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Effects on later adjustment of living in a stepfamily during childhood and adolescence.

This paper examines the effects of living in a stepfamily during childhood and adolescence on a range of psychosocial outcomes at age 18 years. Data collected during an 18-year longitudinal study were used to examine a sample of 907 children with respect to: exposure to living in a stepfamily during the period from age 6 to 16 years; measures of psychosocial outcomes including mental health, antisocial behaviour, substance use, restricted life opportunities, and sexual risk-taking at age 18 years; and measures of prospectively collected confounding factors. The analyses revealed that children exposed to living in a stepfamily for the first time between ages 6-16 years had elevated risks of a range of psychosocial outcomes at 18 years. These included elevated risks of: (1) juvenile offending; (2) nicotine dependence; (3) abuse or dependence on illicit substances; (4) leaving school without qualifications; (5) early onset of sexual activity; and (6) multiple sexual partners. However, these risks were reduced substantially when psychosocial outcomes were adjusted for the confounding effects of antecedent factors such as: family socioeconomic characteristics: family history of instability, adversity, and conflict; mother's age, religiosity, and smoking; child gender; and preexisting child conduct and attentional problems. After adjustment, the odds ratios between exposure to a stepfamily and adolescent outcomes were nonsignificant. Additional analysis revealed that there were no significant differences in outcomes for boys and girls exposed to stepfamilies. It was concluded that although young people exposed to living in a stepfamily had increased risks of poor psychosocial outcomes, much of this association appeared to be spurious, and arose from confounding social, contextual, and individual factors that were present prior to the formation of the stepfamily.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1999

Maternal age and educational and psychosocial outcomes in early adulthood.

The relationships between maternal age (at birth) and educational and psychosocial outcomes at age 18 were examined in a birth cohort of 1025 New Zealand children. This analysis indicated the presence of consistent tendencies for increasing maternal age to be associated with declining risks of educational underachievement, juvenile crime, substance misuse, and mental health problems. Children with teenage mothers had risks of later adverse outcomes that were 1.5 to 8.9 times higher than the risks for offspring of mothers aged over 30. Subsequent analyses revealed that the associations between maternal age and later educational and psychosocial outcomes were largely, but not wholly, explained by associations between maternal age and the child-rearing practices and home environments experienced by children. In general, increasing maternal age tended to be associated with more nurturant, supportive, and stable home environments. In turn, these linkages between maternal and childhood environment explained most of the association between maternal age and later outcomes. The theoretical and applied implications of these results are considered.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Prospective childhood predictors of deviant peer affiliations in adolescence.

Data gathered over the course of a longitudinal study of a birth cohort of over 900 New Zealand children were used to examine factors associated with the formation of affiliations with delinquent or substance using peers in adolescence (15 years). The findings of this study include: (1) Adolescent peer affiliations were associated with a wide range of prospectively measured social, family, parental, and individual factors. This analysis indicated that those children most at risk of forming deviant peer affiliations were those from socially disadvantaged backgrounds, dysfunctional families, who showed early onset conduct problems and other difficulties. (2) Regression analysis suggested that specific factors that were associated with increased risks of later deviant peer affiliations included family socioeconomic status, parental conflict, mother/child interaction, childhood sexual abuse, parental alcoholism, parental criminal offending, parental illicit drug use, parental smoking, early conduct problems, early anxiety/withdrawal, and early smoking experimentation. It is concluded that peer affiliations in adolescence are shaped by a complex social, family, and individual process that includes social stratification, family functioning, and individual behavioural predispositions.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

A longitudinal study of maternal labour force participation and child academic achievement.

The associations between maternal labour force participation and child academic achievement were examined in a birth cohort of New Zealand children who have been studied from birth to age 18. The results of this analysis suggested the presence of small associations between the extent of maternal labour force participation and scores on standardised tests of word recognition, reading comprehension, and mathematical reasoning. Similar associations were found between maternal labour force participation and success in school leaving examinations. These associations arose predominantly because children whose mothers worked had better performance than children whose mothers who had not worked in paid employment. However, patterns of maternal labour force participation were also related to a series of family and child factors including: maternal education, family socioeconomic status, race, birth order, family composition, early mother-child interaction, and child IQ. Adjustment for these factors reduced associations between maternal labour force participation and academic achievement to the point of practical and statistical nonsignificance. These results were found to be robust and similar conclusions were found for (1) a range of measures of maternal labour force participation, and (2) subgroups of the cohort defined by gender, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, or family type.

Achievement↗
PubMed1998

Maternal smoking during pregnancy and psychiatric adjustment in late adolescence.

BACKGROUND: This study assessed the extent to which exposure to maternal smoking during pregnancy was associated with increased risks of psychiatric symptoms in late adolescence (adolescents aged 16-18 years) when due allowance was made for confounding or selection factors associated with maternal smoking during pregnancy. METHODS: Data were gathered during an 18-year longitudinal study of a birth cohort of 1265 children born in New Zealand. The measures collected included (1) maternal smoking during pregnancy; (2) assessments of psychiatric problems (conduct disorder, major depression, and anxiety and substance use disorders) at age 16 to 18 years; and (3) measures of potentially confounding social, family, and parental factors. RESULTS: Children exposed to maternal smoking during pregnancy had higher psychiatric symptom rates for conduct disorder, alcohol abuse, substance abuse, and depression. Those children whose mothers smoked at least 1 pack of cigarettes per day during their pregnancy had symptom rates that were between 1.4 and 2.5 (median, 2.0) times higher than the children of nonsmokers. Smoking during pregnancy was also associated with a series of adverse or disadvantageous factors that included (1) socioeconomic disadvantage, (2) impaired child-rearing behaviors, and (3) parental and family problems. After adjustment for these confounding and selection factors, smoking during pregnancy was significantly associated with an increased rate of conduct disorder symptoms in late adolescence (P<.001). This effect was more pronounced for male than female adolescents. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that maternal smoking during pregnancy may contribute to childrens' risk of later externalizing problems. There is a need to further explore the moderating effect of the sex of the child and to clarify the underlying pathophysiological features of this relationship.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Stability and change in externalising behaviours.

This paper provides an overview of a series of issues relating to continuity and discontinuity in externalising disorders including conduct disorder, attention deficit disorder and substance use disorders in childhood and adolescence. These issues include: (a) the assessment of stability and change; (b) the origins of behavioural stability; (c) the origins of behavioural change; and (d) the preventive and clinical implications of research into behavioural stability and change. It is concluded that future research into this area should involve: (a) further research into the genetic factors underlying externalising disorders; (b) continued research into the developmental progressions; (c) refinement and revision of measurement methodologies; and (d) greater use of designed experimentation to examine the extent to which externalising behaviours are amenable to change through both public health and clinical interventions.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Exposure to interparental violence in childhood and psychosocial adjustment in young adulthood.

OBJECTIVE: To study the relationships between retrospective reports of exposure to interparental violence in childhood and rates of psychosocial adjustment problems in young adulthood in a birth cohort of New Zealand subjects. METHOD: Data were gathered during the course of an 18 year longitudinal study of a birth cohort of 1,265 New Zealand children. At age 18 retrospective reports of exposure to interparental violence were obtained. At this time the cohort was also assessed on measures of psychosocial adjustment including mental health problems, substance abuse behaviors, and criminal offending. RESULTS: Young people reporting high levels of exposure to interparental violence had elevated rates of adjustment problems at age 18. These problems included mental health problems, substance abuse behaviors and criminal offending. Analyses using multiple logistic regression showed that much of this elevated risk was explained by social and contextual factors associated with exposure to interparental violence. However, even after adjustment for confounding factors, exposure to father initiated violence was associated with increased risks of anxiety, conduct disorder and property crime, while exposure to mother initiated violence was associated only with increased risks of later alcohol abuse/dependence. CONCLUSION: Children exposed to high levels of interparental violence are an at risk population for psychosocial adjustment problems in young adulthood. Much of the elevated risk of these children arises from the social context within which interparental violence occurs. Nonetheless, exposure to interparental violence, and particularly father initiated violence, may be associated with later increased risks of anxiety, conduct disorder, problems with alcohol, and criminal offending.

Adolescent↗