Cross-cohort change in adolescent outcomes for children with mental health problems
Open accessAbstract
Background: Child mental health problems are common. Previous studies have examined secular changes in their prevalence but have not assessed whether later outcomes have changed. We therefore aimed to test whether outcomes of child mental health problems have changed over a 40‐year period. Methods: Three cohorts were utilized: The National Child Development Study ( NCDS : N = 14,544, aged 7 in 1965), the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children ( ALSPAC : N = 8,188, aged 7 in 1998), and the Millennium Cohort Study ( MCS : N = 13,192, aged 7 in 2008). Mental health problems at age 7 were identified using the parent‐reported Rutter‐A scale ( NCDS ) and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire ( ALSPAC and MCS ). Associated outcomes were compared across cohorts: age 11 social functioning, age 16 exam attainment and age 16 mental health. Results: Child mental health problems were common in each cohort (boys: 7.0%–9.7%; girls: 5.4%–8.4%). Child mental health problems became more strongly associated with social functioning problems (boys: NCDS OR = 1.95 (1.50, 2.53), MCS OR = 3.77 (2.89, 4.92); interaction p < .001; girls: NCDS OR = 1.69 (1.22, 2.33), MCS OR = 3.99 (3.04, 5.25), interaction p < .001), lower academic attainment for boys ( NCDS OR = 0.49 (0.31, 0.78), ALSPAC OR = 0.30 (0.22, 0.41), interaction p = .009), and age 16 mental health problems (boys: NCDS d ′ = 0.55 (0.38, 0.72), ALSPAC d ′ = 0.95 (0.73, 1.16); interaction p = .004; girls: NCDS d ′ = 0.50 (0.34, 0.65), ALSPAC d ′ = 0.99 (0.78, 1.20); interaction p < .001). Conclusions: Child mental health problems have become more strongly associated with negative social, educational and mental health outcomes in recent generations.
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- Authors
- Sellers, R., Warne, N., Pickles, A., Maughan, B., Thapar, A., & Collishaw, S.
- Affiliations
- University of Sussex (GB)
- Cardiff University (GB)
- King's College London (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Collishaw, Stephan
- Venue
- Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2019-04-15
- Volume
- 60
- Issue
- 7
- Pages
- 813-821
- ISSN
- 0021-9630 (ISSN-L)
- 1469-7610
- PMC
- PMC6617990
- OpenAlex
- W2908962338
- Cited by
- 134
- References
- 47
- Citations by year
- 2026: 17 · 2025: 17 · 2024: 24 · 2023: 16 · 2022: 27 · 2021: 16 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 3
- FWCI
- 17.23
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- ORCA Online Research @Cardiff (Cardiff University) (submittedVersion)
- Bristol Research (University of Bristol) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Sussex Research Online (University of Sussex) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Research Portal (King's College London) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Apollo (University of Cambridge) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Apollo (cc-by)
- Funders
- Medical Research Council (MR/J01348X/1, 102215/2/13/2)
- Economic and Social Research Council (ES/N003098/1)
- National Institute for Health Research
- King’s College London
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health Treatment and Access
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
- Keywords
- child mental health problems, secular trends, adolescent outcomes, social functioning, academic performance, adolescent mental health, gender differences, cross-cohort comparison, child mental health services, National Child Development Study, Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, Millennium Cohort Study, Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, school-based mental health screening, school-based mental health services
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Mental Disorders, Child, Educational Status, Female, Humans, Male, Sex Factors, Social Behavior, Cohort Studies
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