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Biomedical subjects

David M Fergusson

Publications and source records attributed to David M Fergusson.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2005

Show me the child at seven: the consequences of conduct problems in childhood for psychosocial functioning in adulthood.

BACKGROUND: This paper seeks to extend research into the adult sequelae of childhood conduct problems by investigating the associations between conduct problems in middle childhood and psychosocial outcomes in adulthood. METHOD: Data were gathered during the course of a 25-year longitudinal study of a birth cohort of New Zealand young people. Information was collected on: a) parent and teacher reports of child conduct problems at ages 7, 8 and 9 years; b) measures of crime, substance use, mental health, sexual/partner relationships, education/employment; c) confounding factors, including childhood, family and educational characteristics. RESULTS: There were statistically significant associations between childhood conduct problems from 7-9 years and risks of adverse outcomes across all domains of functioning. After control for confounding factors the associations between conduct problems and education/employment outcomes became statistically non-significant. Associations persisted for other outcomes (crime, substance dependence, mental health and sexual/partner relationships). Children in the most disturbed 5% of the cohort had rates of these outcomes that were between 1.5 and 19 times higher than rates for the least disturbed 50% of the cohort. The associations between conduct problems and adult outcomes were similar for males and females. CONCLUSIONS: Childhood conduct problems were associated with a wide range of adverse psychosocial outcomes (crime, substance use, mental health, sexual/partner relationships) even after control for confounding factors. The results reinforce the need for greater investment into interventions to address these problems.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2005

Show me the child at seven II: Childhood intelligence and later outcomes in adolescence and young adulthood.

BACKGROUND: There has been ongoing interest in the role of intelligence in longer-term educational and occupational achievement and social adjustment. The aims of this study were to examine the extent to which IQ in middle childhood (8-9 years) was prognostic of future outcomes when due allowance was made for confounding personal and social factors. METHODS: Data were gathered on (WISC-R) IQ at ages 8-9 years and a range of educational and social adjustment measures over the course of the Christchurch Health and Development Study, a 25-year longitudinal study of a birth cohort of 1,265 New Zealand children. RESULTS: IQ assessed at ages 8-9 years was related to a range of outcomes: later crime (offending, arrest/conviction); substance use disorders (nicotine dependence, illicit drug dependence); mental health (anxiety, suicidality); sexual adjustment (number of sexual partners, pregnancy); educational achievement (school leaving qualifications, tertiary qualifications); and occupational outcomes (unemployment, income). However, intelligence was largely unrelated to many of these outcomes: crime, mental health, sexual behaviours, and illicit substance dependence after statistical adjustment for early behaviour problems and family background. Strong relationships remained between childhood intelligence and later educational and occupational outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Much of the association between early intelligence and later social adjustment is mediated by childhood conduct problems and family social circumstances. However, strong relationships exist between early intelligence and later academic achievement and income independently of these factors.

Achievement↗
PubMed2005

Randomized trial of the Early Start program of home visitation.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the extent to which a program of home visitation (Early Start), targeted at families who are facing stress and difficulty, had beneficial consequences for child health, preschool education, service utilization, parenting, child abuse and neglect, and behavioral adjustment. METHODS: The study used a randomized, controlled trial design in which 220 families who were participating in the Early Start program were contrasted with a control series of 223 families who were not participating in the program. Families were enrolled in the program after population screening that was conducted by community health nurses. Families were enrolled in the program for up to 36 months. Outcomes were assessed at 6, 12, 24, and 36 months after trial entry. RESULTS: Families in the Early Start series received a mean of 24 months of service. Comparisons between the Early Start and control series over the 36-month follow-up period revealed that families in the Early Start program showed significant benefits in the areas of improved utilization of child health services, reduced rates of hospital attendance for injury/poisoning, increased preschool education, increased positive and nonpunitive parenting, reduced rates of severe parent/child assaults, and reduced rates of early problem behaviors. Effect sizes (Cohen's "d") were found to be in the small to moderate range, with d ranging from .03 to .31 (median: .22). CONCLUSIONS: The Early Start program was associated with small to moderate benefits in a wide range of areas relating to child health, preschool education, parenting, child abuse, and early behavioral adjustment. Comparisons with other studies are made, and threats to validity are considered.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Familial transmission of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts: evidence from a general population sample.

The goals of the study were (1) to determine the association between parental and offspring suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among adult offspring in a general community sample, and (2) to examine the extent to which this association can be explained by mediating processes of mental disorders. Data were drawn from the National Comorbidity Survey (n=8098), a representative household sample of adults aged 15-54 in the United States. The relationships between suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among adult offspring and suicidal ideation and suicide attempt in their parents, compared with those in parents not characterized by suicidal ideation or suicide attempts, were calculated using multiple logistic regression analyses. Analyses were adjusted for differences in sociodemographic characteristics and for mental disorders. Results showed that parental suicidal ideation was associated with a significantly increased likelihood of suicidal ideation [OR=1.7 (1.2, 2.5)] and suicide attempt [OR=1.4 (0.9, 2.1)] among offspring. Parental suicide attempt was associated with increased odds of suicidal ideation [OR=2.0 (1.4, 2.9)] and suicide attempt [OR=2.2 (1.4, 3.4)] among offspring. Comorbid mental disorders contributed to the strength of these associations, but with the exception of the link between parental suicidal ideation and offspring suicide attempt, all remained statistically significant even after adjustment. These data provide initial evidence of familial linkages (parent-offspring) of suicidal ideation and behavior among a sample of adults representative of the US population. The data suggest that comorbid mental disorders contribute to these associations but do not completely account for them. The findings are consistent with and extend results from family, clinical, and high-risk studies suggesting that a familial risk of suicidal ideation and suicide behavior occurs in the general population. Implications for prevention and future research are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Asthma and depressive and anxiety disorders among young persons in the community.

BACKGROUND: The objectives of the study were to examine linkages between asthma and depressive and anxiety disorders in a birth cohort of over 1000 young persons studied to the age of 21 years. Specifically, the study aimed to ascertain the extent to which associations between asthma and depressive and anxiety disorders could be explained by non-observed fixed confounding factors. METHOD: Asthma and depressive and anxiety disorders were measured prospectively over the course of a 21-year longitudinal study. Fixed effects logistic regression models were used to determine the relationship between asthma and depressive and anxiety disorders, adjusting for potentially confounding factors. RESULTS: Asthma in adolescence and young adulthood was associated with increased likelihood of major depression (OR 1.7, 95 % CI 1.3-2.3), panic attacks (OR 1.9, 95 % CI 1.3-2.8), and any anxiety disorder (OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.2-2.2). Associations between asthma and depressive and anxiety disorders were adjusted for confounding factors using a fixed effects regression model which showed that, after control for fixed confounding factors, asthma was no longer significantly related to major depression (OR 1.1), panic attacks (OR 1.1), or any anxiety disorder (OR 1.2). Additional post hoc analyses suggested that exposure to childhood adversity or unexamined familial factors may account for some of the co-morbidity of asthma and depressive and anxiety disorders. CONCLUSIONS: These results confirm and extend previous findings by documenting elevated rates of depressive and anxiety disorders among young adults with asthma, compared with their counterparts without asthma, in the community. The weight of the evidence from this study suggests that associations between asthma and depressive and anxiety symptoms may reflect effects of common factors associated with both asthma and depressive and anxiety disorders, rather than a direct causal link. Future research is needed to identify the specific factors underlying these associations.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Knowledge and attitudes about suicide in 25-year-olds.

OBJECTIVE: To examine knowledge and attitudes about suicide in a New Zealand sample of young people aged 25 years. METHOD: The sample was a birth cohort of 1265 young people born in New Zealand in 1977 who have been followed in a longitudinal study for 25 years. At age 25, participants were asked a series of questions designed to assess their knowledge and attitudes about suicide. RESULTS: Young people had poor knowledge about youth suicide. They overestimated the number of youth suicide deaths, with a quarter believing that the number of deaths was at least 10x higher than the actual number. They overestimated the fraction of all suicides accounted for by youth suicides with two-thirds believing that 50% or more of all suicides occurred among young people. The most common source of information about suicide was the media. Young people tended to hold mixed attitudes toward suicide, having both liberal and conservative views. Those with lifetime histories of suicidal ideation or suicide attempt and those with family histories of suicide or suicide attempt tended to hold more liberal attitudes. Attitudes toward suicide were unrelated to gender and to knowledge about suicide. CONCLUSIONS: Young people over-estimate the prevalence of youth suicide and the fraction of suicides accounted for by youth deaths, and hold both conservative and liberal attitudes toward suicide. Their primary source of information about suicide is the media. These findings raise concerns about the potential for media coverage of youth suicide issues to normalize suicide as a common, and thereby acceptable, response among young people, and suggest the need for careful dissemination of accurate information about suicide by knowledgeable, respected and reputable sources.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Drinking patterns in mid-adolescence and psychosocial outcomes in late adolescence and early adulthood.

AIMS: To describe the pattern of drinking at age 16 and to relate this to outcomes at 16-21 years and 21-25 years across a number of psychosocial domains. DESIGN: A prospective birth cohort study with annual follow-up until age 16 then at 18, 21 and 25 years. SETTING: Christchurch, New Zealand. PARTICIPANTS: Of 1265 subjects, 953 were interviewed at age 16. MEASUREMENTS: Multiple measures of family background were collected from birth to 16 years. Alcohol consumption was measured in terms of frequency, usual or last quantity drunk and most drunk per occasion. Problems were also recorded. Questions about psychiatric symptoms enabled Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) criteria to be applied. Detailed reports on educational outcomes, employment, sexual behaviours and offending were collected. FINDINGS: Four latent classes were required to describe drinking at age 16, but these appeared to lie along a single dimension which strongly predicted outcomes at ages 16-21 and 21-25 across all domains (alcohol-related, substance dependence, mental health, education, sexual relationships and offending). After controlling for background and correlates only a small number of outcomes were still related consistently to drinking at age 16 over both periods: most alcohol-related outcomes, the number of sexual partners and the extent of violent offending. CONCLUSIONS: Drinking at age 16 is a clear indicator of future life-course over most domains in late adolescence and early adulthood. Many of these associations are due to other covariates. Outcomes specific to drinking at age 16 are alcohol outcomes, number of sexual partners and violence.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Early anxious/withdrawn behaviours predict later internalising disorders.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to examine the association between anxious/withdrawn behaviours at age 8 and the development of internalising disorders in adolescence and young adulthood (ages 16-21). METHODS: Data were gathered over the course of a 21-year longitudinal study of a birth cohort of over 1,000 New-Zealand-born young people. Over the course of the study, data were gathered on: (a) anxious/withdrawn behaviour at age 8; (b) anxiety disorders and major depression at ages 16-18 and 18-21; (c) a range of potential confounding factors, including measures of adversity and family factors during childhood. RESULTS: Increasing anxious/withdrawn behaviour at age 8 was associated with increasing risks of social phobia; specific phobia; panic/agoraphobia; and major depression during adolescence and young adulthood. These associations persisted after adjustment for a series of confounding social, childhood, and family factors. CONCLUSIONS: Anxious/withdrawn behaviour in childhood is associated with elevated rates of anxiety disorders and major depression during adolescence and young adulthood. These data are consistent with, and extend, previous clinical and epidemiologic findings, by showing consistent linkages between childhood anxious/withdrawn behaviours at age 8 and increased risk for anxiety disorders and depression at ages 16-18 and 18-21 among young persons in the community. These results may point to the need to provide support and possibly intervention to children showing early anxious or withdrawn behaviours.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Panic attacks and psychoticism.

OBJECTIVE: The authors sought to determine the association between panic attacks and psychoticism among young adults in the community. METHOD: Data were drawn from a 21-year longitudinal birth cohort study (N=1,265). Negative binomial regression models were used to determine the association between panic attacks in adolescence (age 15-21) and psychoticism during young adulthood. RESULTS: Having a panic attack in the preceding 3 years was associated with elevated rates of psychoticism at ages 18 (rate ratio=2.81, 95% CI=1.92-4.13) and 21 (rate ratio=3.01, 95% CI=2.10-4.33). These associations were adjusted for differences in previous psychoticism, comorbid anxiety, depression, and substance use disorders and a range of other potential confounding factors by using a generalized estimating equation model. This analysis showed that after adjustment for confounding factors, having a panic attack was still associated with an increased rate of psychoticism (rate ratio=1.51, 95% CI=1.14-2.02). CONCLUSIONS: Panic attacks during adolescence are associated with significantly increased levels of psychoticism among young adults in the community compared with young persons with no history of panic attacks. Much of the relationship between panic attacks and psychoticism appears to be explained by common risk factors and psychiatric comorbidity, yet these data provide evidence of an independent association between panic attacks in adolescence and psychoticism during young adulthood in the community. Replication of these findings is needed, as are future studies that further investigate the mechanism of this association.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Early reactions to cannabis predict later dependence.

CONTEXT: While there is a growing literature on the linkages between early subjective responses to nicotine and alcohol and later risks of nicotine or alcohol dependence, to date there has been no study of this issue in relation to cannabis. OBJECTIVE: To examine the extent to which subjective responses to early (prior to the age of 16 years) cannabis use were associated with subsequent cannabis dependence in a birth cohort studied to the age of 21 years. DESIGN: Data on early (prior to the age of 16 years) subjective reactions to cannabis use and subsequent cannabis dependence were gathered over the course of the Christchurch Health and Development Study, a 21-year longitudinal study of a birth cohort of children born in Christchurch, New Zealand. SETTING: General community sample. PARTICIPANTS: Members of a population-based birth cohort (86.5% white, 11.3% New Zealand Maori, and 2.2% Pacific Island). Main Outcome Measure Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition cannabis dependence (for those aged 16-21 years). RESULTS: Of the cohort, 198 (20%) had used cannabis prior to the age of 16 years. Among this high-risk group, rates of dependence were high with 21.7% meeting DSM-IV criteria for cannabis dependence by the age of 21 years. There were clear tendencies for rates of cannabis dependence to increase with increasing reports of positive responses to early cannabis use: those reporting 5 positive responses had odds of cannabis dependence that were 28.5 (95% confidence interval, 6.3-133.8) times higher than those not reporting positive reactions to cannabis. The association held (odds ratio, 23.4; 95% confidence interval, 4.0-135.9) after control for potentially confounding factors including the extent of use of cannabis prior to age 16 years. The extent of early negative reactions to cannabis was unrelated to later cannabis dependence. CONCLUSIONS: Early subjective responses to cannabis are prognostic of later cannabis dependence. These findings may suggest the presence of genetically mediated individual differences in early responsiveness to cannabis. Clinicians should be aware that young people who report positive reactions to early use of cannabis are at increased risks of later cannabis dependence.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Deviant peer affiliations and depression: confounding or causation?

Data gathered from 2 longitudinal studies (the Christchurch Health and Development study of a birth cohort of 1,265 New Zealand participants studied to 21 years and the Quebec Study of 240 Canadian participants studied to 13 years) was used to examine the linkages between deviant peer affiliations and depression in adolescence. Both studies produced similar conclusions: a) increasing peer affiliations were associated with significant (p < .0001) increases in depressive symptoms; b) the associations between peer affiliations and depression could not be fully explained by confounding factors; and c) peer affiliations and depressive symptoms were linked by a causal chain process in which deviant peer affiliations led to increased externalizing behaviors with the negative consequences of these behaviors leading to depression.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Cannabis and educational achievement.

AIMS: To examine the relationship between cannabis use in adolescence/young adulthood and levels of educational attainment. DESIGN: Data were gathered over the course of a 25-year longitudinal study of a birth cohort of 1265 New Zealand children. MEASUREMENTS: Measures analysed included (a) frequency of cannabis use in adolescence and young adulthood (15-25 years); (b) levels of educational achievement to age 25 years; and (c) social, family and individual characteristics assessed prior to age 16. FINDINGS: Increasing cannabis use was associated with increasing risks of leaving school without qualifications, failure to enter university and failure to obtain a university degree. The association between cannabis use and leaving school without qualifications persisted after control for confounding factors. When due allowance was made for pre-existing levels of cannabis use there was no evidence to suggest the presence of reverse causal pathways in which lower educational achievement led to increased cannabis use. CONCLUSIONS: Findings support the view that cannabis use may act to decrease educational achievement in young people. It is likely that this reflects the effects of the social context within which cannabis is used rather than any direct effect of cannabis on cognitive ability or motivation.

Achievement↗
PubMed2002

Mental health, educational, and social role outcomes of adolescents with depression.

BACKGROUND: This study used longitudinal data to examine the extent to which young people with depression in mid adolescence (ages 14-16) were at increased risk of adverse psychosocial outcomes in later adolescence and young adulthood (ages 16-21). METHODS: Data were gathered during a 21-year longitudinal study of a birth cohort of 1265 children. Measures included assessments of DSM-III-R major depression (at age 14-16); psychiatric disorders, educational achievement, and social functioning (at age 16-21); social, familial, and individual factors; and comorbid disorders. RESULTS: Thirteen percent of the cohort developed depression between ages 14 and 16. Young people with depression in adolescence were at significantly (P<.05) increased risk of later major depression, anxiety disorders, nicotine dependence, alcohol abuse or dependence, suicide attempt, educational underachievement, unemployment, and early parenthood. These associations were similar for girls and boys. The results suggested the presence of 2 major pathways linking early depression to later outcomes. First, there was a direct linkage between early depression and increased risk of later major depression or anxiety disorders. Second, the associations between early depression and other outcomes were explained by the presence of confounding social, familial, and individual factors. CONCLUSIONS: Young people having early depression were at increased risk of later adverse psychosocial outcomes. There was a direct linkage in which early depression was associated with increased risk of later major depression and anxiety disorders. Linkages between early depression and other outcomes appeared to reflect the effects of confounding factors.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2002

Male and female offending trajectories.

This paper uses a latent class modeling approach to examine gender related variations in offending trajectories from adolescence to young adulthood. This approach is applied to data gathered over the course of a longitudinal study of 896 New Zealand children studied from birth to age 21 years. The analysis identified five trajectory groups: a group of low-risk offenders, three groups of adolescent-limited offenders who varied in the timing of the onset of offending (early, intermediate, and late onset), and a group of chronic offenders. Identical offending trajectories applied for males and females. However, probabilities of trajectory group membership varied with gender, with females being more likely to exhibit low-risk or early onset adolescent-limited offending and males later onset and chronic offending. Examination of social, family, and individual factors associated with these trajectories suggested the presence of a series of common etiological factors relating to family functioning and early adjustment that discriminated between trajectory groups. These risk factors appeared to operate in a similar fashion for both males and females. Implications of these findings for trajectory theories of offending are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Romantic relationships of young people with childhood and adolescent onset antisocial behavior problems.

Using prospective longitudinal data from the Christchurch Health and Development Study, this paper examines the extent to which early onset, life course persistent and adolescent limited antisocial behavior problems place young people at risk of violent and unsatisfactory romantic relationships in early adulthood. Results revealed the presence of clear linear associations between the developmental timing of antisocial behavior and later partnership risks, with these risks including partner violence perpetration and victimization, interpartner conflict, and increased ambivalence about the relationship. Young people with childhood onset antisocial behavior problems reported higher rates of partnership difficulties than young people with adolescent limited antisocial behavior problems, while those with adolescent limited antisocial behavior reported higher levels of partnership difficulties than young people without a history of antisocial behavior problems. These associations persisted even after extensive control for a range of social, family, and individual factors that were correlated with the timing of antisocial behavior. Results highlight the importance of distinguishing between early and late onset antisocial behavior, and provide further support for existing life course models of the development of antisocial behavior problems in children and adolescents.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Deviant peer affiliations, crime and substance use: a fixed effects regression analysis.

The present study was designed to assess the influence of deviant peer affiliations on crime and substance use in adolescence/young adulthood. Data were used from a 21-year longitudinal study of health, development, and adjustment of a birth cohort of 1,265 New Zealand children. Annual assessments of deviant peer affiliations were obtained for the period from age 14-21 years, together with measures of psychosocial outcomes including, violent crime, property crime, alcohol abuse, cannabis abuse, and nicotine dependence. Affiliating with deviant peers was found to be significantly associated with each of these outcomes (p < .0001). Statistical control for confounding by both fixed and time dynamic factors reduced the strength of association between deviant peer affiliations and outcome measures. Nevertheless, deviant peer affiliations remained significantly associated (p < .0001) with all outcomes. For violent/property crime, cannabis and alcohol abuse there was significant evidence of age-related variation in the strength of association with deviant peer affiliations, with deviant peer affiliations having greater influence on younger participants (14-15 years) than older participants (20-21 years). These results suggest that deviant peer affiliations are associated with increased rates of a range of adjustment problems in adolescence/young adulthood with deviant peer affiliations being most influential at younger ages.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Cannabis use and psychosocial adjustment in adolescence and young adulthood.

AIM: To examine the associations between frequency of cannabis use and psychosocial outcomes in adolescence/young adulthood. DESIGN: A 21-year longitudinal study of the health, development and adjustment of a birth cohort of 1265 New Zealand children. MEASUREMENTS: Annual assessments of the frequency of cannabis use were obtained for the period from age 14-21 years, together with measures of psychosocial outcomes including property/violent crime, depression, suicidal ideation, suicide attempt and other illicit drug use. FINDINGS: The frequency of cannabis use was associated significantly with all outcomes, and particularly other illicit drug use. Statistical control for confounding by both fixed and time-dynamic factors substantially reduced the strength of association between cannabis use and outcome measures. Nevertheless, cannabis use remained significantly (P < 0.05) associated with all outcomes and particularly other illicit drug use, after adjustment for confounding. For the measures of crime, suicidal behaviours and other illicit drug use there was evidence of age related variation in the strength of association with cannabis use, with younger (14-15 years old) users being more affected by regular cannabis use than older (20-21 years old) regular users. However, the association between cannabis use and depression did not vary with age. CONCLUSIONS: Cannabis use, and particularly regular or heavy use, was associated with increased rates of a range of adjustment problems in adolescence/ young adulthood-other illicit drug use, crime, depression and suicidal behaviours-with these adverse effects being most evident for school-aged regular users. The findings reinforce public health concerns about minimizing the use of cannabis among school-aged populations.

Adolescent↗