Biomedical subjects

Gordon Harold

Publications and source records attributed to Gordon Harold.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2007

The association between conduct problems and the initiation and progression of marijuana use during adolescence: a genetic analysis across time.

The present study used a prospective, longitudinal design to investigate genetic and environmental influences on the association between earlier conduct problems and the initiation and progression of marijuana use during adolescence. Parent- and teacher-reported conduct problems assessed at Time 1 (1996) and self-reported marijuana use assessed at Time 2 (2004) were available for 1088 adolescent twin pairs participating in the Cardiff Study of All Wales and North West of England Twins (CaStANET). Using a novel approach to the modeling of initiation and progression dimensions in substance use, findings suggested that the initiation of marijuana use in adolescence was influenced by genetic, common and unique environmental factors. The progression (or frequency) of marijuana use was influenced by genetic and unique environmental factors. Findings for conduct problems indicated that while the presence or absence of conduct problems was largely heritable, the relative severity of conduct problems appeared to be more strongly environmentally influenced. Multivariate model fitting indicated that conduct problems in childhood and early adolescence made a small but significant contribution to the risk for marijuana use 8 years later.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

Agreement between maternal report and antenatal records for a range of pre and peri-natal factors: the influence of maternal and child characteristics.

BACKGROUND: Events during pregnancy and labour may influence the future health and well-being of offspring. Many studies rely on maternal reports of pre and peri-natal factors. Both maternal and child characteristics may potentially influence the reliability and accuracy of maternal recall. However, this has not been previously examined. AIMS: To examine agreement between information from maternally reported questionnaires and medical records for a range of pre and peri-natal factors. To examine whether maternal and child characteristics influence the level of agreement with medical records. METHODS: A survey of women who had school aged children born following in vitro fertilization (IVF) was carried out. Mothers completed a postal questionnaire booklet which included the Lewis and Murray scale which asks about antenatal and obstetric complications and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire which assesses child behaviour problems. Antenatal case notes were also reviewed. Multi-centre ethical approval was obtained. Complete data were available for 126 women. RESULTS: The agreement between maternal report and medical records was very good for the majority of outcomes examined (infant birth weight, infant admission to special care baby unit, method of delivery, smoking during pregnancy, high blood pressure/oedema during pregnancy). Exceptions were length of labour and alcohol use during pregnancy. However, alcohol use during pregnancy was not routinely recorded in medical records. Maternal characteristics did not substantially influence level of agreement for the majority of outcomes examined. Exceptions were that agreement for length of labour was better in women with more educational qualifications and that agreement for pre-natal smoking was worse in women from higher socio-occupational groups. There was little evidence that child behaviour problems influenced the level of agreement between maternal recall and medical records. CONCLUSIONS: For the majority of pre and peri-natal events examined, mothers can provide accurate reports in comparison to information from medical records.

Alcohol Drinking↗

PubMed2006

'Watching from the stairs': towards an evidence-based practice in work with child witnesses of domestic violence.

This article describes the current practice of work with children who have witnessed domestic violence in the UK and North America. It examines this practice in the light of evidence of effectiveness and in the light of research that explains how witnessing domestic violence affects children. Finally it proposes guidelines for an evidenced-based practice which is built on this research.

Child↗

PubMed2005

Do depression symptoms predict seizure frequency--or vice versa?

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to test a theoretical explanatory model of the relationship between depression symptom scores and seizure frequency in people with epilepsy. METHODS: A community-based sample of adults with active epilepsy provided information on depression symptom scores and seizure frequency at two time points, 1 year apart. RESULTS: One thousand two hundred ten patients completed the initial questionnaire, and 976 of these individuals (80.7%) completed the final questionnaire. Depression scores and seizure frequency were significant predictors of each other, both within (beta = .07, P < .05 and beta = .09, P < .05) and across time (beta = .03, P < .01 and beta = .07, P < .05). CONCLUSION: The relationship between depression symptom scores and seizure frequency in those with epilepsy is bidirectional.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

The prediction of disruptive behaviour disorders in an urban community sample: the contribution of person-centred analyses.

BACKGROUND: Variable- and person-centred analyses were used to examine prediction of middle childhood behaviour problems from earlier child and family measures. METHOD: A community sample of 164 families, initially recruited at antenatal clinics at two South London practices, was assessed for children's behaviour problems and cognitive ability, maternal mental health, and the family environment when the children were 4 years old. At age 11, children, mothers, and teachers reported the child's disruptive behaviour, and mothers and children were interviewed to identify cases of disruptive behaviour disorders (DBD). RESULTS: Neither social class nor ethnicity predicted the child's disruptive behaviour at age 11. Rather, path analyses and logistic regression analyses drew attention to early behavioural problems, maternal mental health and the child's cognitive ability at 4 as predictors of disruptive behaviour at age 11. Cluster analysis extended these findings by identifying two distinct pathways to disruptive symptoms and disorder. In one subgroup children who showed intellectual difficulties at 4 had become disruptive by 11. In a second subgroup mothers and children both showed psychological problems when the child was 4, and the children were disruptive at age 11. The person-centred approach also revealed a high-functioning group of cognitively able 4-year-olds in supportive environments, at especially low risk for DBD. CONCLUSIONS: Combining variable- and person-centred analytic approaches can aid prediction of children's problems, draw attention to pertinent developmental pathways, and help integrate data from multiple informants.

Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorder↗

PubMed2003

Maternal smoking during pregnancy and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms in offspring.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine whether smoking during pregnancy is associated with symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in offspring and whether these effects are additional to genetic influences. METHOD: Children's ADHD symptoms (parent- and teacher-rated), maternal smoking during pregnancy, conduct disorder symptoms, and family adversity were assessed with questionnaires for a population-based sample of twins (1,452 twin pairs 5-16 years of age). RESULTS: Although genetic influences accounted for most of the variance in offspring ADHD, maternal smoking during pregnancy was still found to show a significant environmentally mediated association. Maternal smoking remained a significant influence when other potential confounds were taken into account. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal smoking during pregnancy appears to show an association with offspring ADHD symptoms that is additional to the effects of genes and not attributable to shared rater effects, clinical referral biases, or covariation with antisocial behavior.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

The genetic aetiology of childhood depression: a review.

BACKGROUND: We review the evidence for the familiality of major depressive disorder (MDD) and the genetic aetiology of depressive symptoms in children and adolescents. METHODS: Databases and reference lists were searched for family, twin and adoption studies of childhood MDD and childhood depressive symptoms. Data from independent family studies that fulfilled specified inclusion criteria were pooled and odds ratios were calculated for top-down and bottom-up family studies. RESULTS: Estimates of familial risk differ by control group and by study design (odds ratio range 1.70, 3.98). Twin studies show that depressive symptoms in young people are heritable although rater and measurement issues are important. Adoption studies show little evidence for a genetic influence on depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: MDD in young people is familial although control group and study design affect the magnitude of the familial risk. Estimates of heritability from twin and adoption studies vary widely and few firm conclusions can be made regarding the genetic aetiology of depressive symptoms in childhood. Areas that require future work include the examination of rater effects, measurement issues, the effects of age and comorbidity and reasons for the discrepancy between twin and adoption findings.

Adolescent↗