Publications
All peer reviewed publications are listed below.
Displaying page 6 of 24.
The relationship between multiple sex partners and anxiety, depression, and substance dependence disorders: a cohort study | 2013
Ramrakha, S., Paul, C. , Bell,
... Show all »
Archives of Sexual Behaviour, 2013, 42(42), 863-872.
DOI: 10.1007/s10508-012-0053-1
Link to full publication »
Our ref: RO632
Changes in sexual behavior have resulted in longer periods of multiple serial or concurrent relationships. This study investigated the effects of multiple heterosexual partners on mental health, specifically, whether higher numbers of partners were linked to later anxiety, depression, and substance dependency. Data from the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study, a prospective, longitudinal study of a birth cohort born in 1972'1973 in Dunedin, New Zealand were used. The relationship between numbers of sex partners over three age periods (18'20, 21'25, and 26'32 years) and diagnoses of anxiety, depression, and substance dependence disorder at 21, 26, and 32 years were examined, using logistic regression. Interaction by gender was examined. Adjustment was made for prior mental health status. There was no significant association between number of sex partners and later anxiety and depression. Increasing numbers of sex partners were associated with increasing risk of substance dependence disorder at all three ages. The association was stronger for women and remained after adjusting for prior disorder. For women reporting 2.5 or more partners per year, compared to 0'1 partners, the adjusted odd ratios (and 95 % CIs) were 9.6 (4.4'20.9), 7.3 (2.5'21.3), and 17.5 (3.5'88.1) at 21, 26, and 32 years, respectively. Analyses using new cases of these disorders showed similar patterns. This study established a strong association between number of sex partners and later substance disorder, especially for women, which persisted beyond prior substance use and mental health problems more generally. The reasons for this association deserve investigation.
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Specificity of childhood psychotic symptoms for predicting schizophrenia by 38 years of age: a birth cohort study | 2013
Fisher, H.L., Caspi, A., Poulton,
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Psychological Medicine, 2013, 43(43), 2077-2086.
doi:10.1017/S0033291712003091
Our ref: RO631
Background. Childhood psychotic symptoms have been used as a subclinical phenotype of schizophrenia in etiological research and as a target for preventative interventions. However, recent studies have cast doubt on the specificity of these symptoms for schizophrenia, suggesting alternative outcomes such as anxiety and depression. Using a prospective longitudinal birth cohort we investigated whether childhood psychotic symptoms predicted a diagnosis of schizophrenia or other psychiatric disorders by 38 years of age. Method. Participants were drawn from a birth cohort of 1037 children from Dunedin, New Zealand, who were followed prospectively to 38 years of age (96% retention rate). Structured clinical interviews were administered at age 11 to assess psychotic symptoms and study members underwent psychiatric assessments at ages 18, 21, 26, 32 and 38 to obtain past-year DSM-III-R/IV diagnoses and self-reports of attempted suicides since adolescence. Results. Psychotic symptoms at age 11 predicted elevated rates of research diagnoses of schizophrenia and post- traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and also suicide attempts by age 38, even when controlling for gender, social class and childhood psychopathology. No significant associations were found for persistent anxiety, persistent depression, mania or persistent substance dependence. Very few of the children presenting with age-11 psychotic symptoms were free from disorder by age 38. Conclusions. Childhood psychotic symptoms were not specific to a diagnosis of schizophrenia in adulthood and thus future studies of early symptoms should be cautious in extrapolating findings only to this clinical disorder. However, these symptoms may be useful as a marker of adult mental health problems more broadly.
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Antecedents and associations of root surface caries experience among 38-year-olds | 2013
Thomson, W. M. , Broadbent, J. M. , Foster-Page,
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Caries Research, 2013, 47(47), 128-134.
DOI: 10.1159/000345078
Our ref: RO630
Objective: Determine whether coronal caries experience to the 30s predicts root surface caries experience by age 38. Method: Prospective study of a complete birth cohort (N = 1037) born in 1972/73 in Dunedin, NZ. Dental examinations were conducted at ages 5, 9, 15, 18, 26, 32 and 38. Root surface caries data were first collected at age 38. Data from ages 5 through 32 were used previously to identify low, medium and high life-course trajectories of caries experience and plaque accumulation. Results: Of the 916 dentate individuals examined at age 38, 23.0% had 1+ root DFS, 17.2% had 1+ root DS and 11.4% had 1+ root FS. The mean root DS, FS and DFS were 0.6 (sd, 3.5), 0.3 (1.1) and 0.9 (3.8), respectively. The mean Root Caries Index score was 7.2% (sd, 18.0). Age-38 coronal DMFS and root surface caries DFS were only weakly correlated (r = 0.32), but root surface caries experience was strongly associated with coronal caries trajectory, with the mean RCI in the low, medium and high caries trajectory groups being (respectively) 4.4%, 8.0% and 13.5% (P <0.0001); their prevalence of 1+ root DFS was 14.5%, 25.9% and 42.2% (P<0.0001). Those in the high coronal caries trajectory were more likely to have 1+ root surface DFS (Odds Ratio = 3.83; 95% CI 2.33, 6.30); for the medium trajectory, the OR was 1.86 (1.25, 2.75). Conclusion: Lifelong coronal caries experience (represented by discrete longitudintal trajectories of caries experience) is indeed a risk factor for root surface caries experience by age 38.
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Convergent translational evidence of a role for anandamide in amygdala-mediated fear extinction, threat processing and stress-reactivity | 2013
Gunduz-Cinar, O., MacPherson, K.P., Cinar,
... Show all »
Molecular Psychiatry, 2013, 18(18), 813-823.
http://www.nature.com/mp/journal/v18/n7/full/mp201272a.html
Our ref: RO625
Endocannabinoids are released 'on-demand' on the basis of physiological need, and can be pharmacologically augmented by inhibiting their catabolic degradation. The endocannabinoid anandamide is degraded by the catabolic enzyme fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH). Anandamide is implicated in the mediation of fear behaviors, including fear extinction, suggesting that selectively elevating brain anandamide could modulate plastic changes in fear. Here we first tested this hypothesis with preclinical experiments employing a novel, potent and selective FAAH inhibitor, AM3506 (5-(4-hydroxyphenyl)pentanesulfonyl fluoride). Systemic AM3506 administration before extinction decreased fear during a retrieval test in a mouse model of impaired extinction. AM3506 had no effects on fear in the absence of extinction training, or on various non-fear-related measures. Anandamide levels in the basolateral amygdala were increased by extinction training and augmented by systemic AM3506, whereas application of AM3506 to amygdala slices promoted long-term depression of inhibitory transmission, a form of synaptic plasticity linked to extinction. Further supporting the amygdala as effect-locus, the fear-reducing effects of systemic AM3506 were blocked by intra-amygdala infusion of a CB1 receptor antagonist and were fully recapitulated by intra-amygdala infusion of AM3506. On the basis of these preclinical findings, we hypothesized that variation in the human FAAH gene would predict individual differences in amygdala threat-processing and stress-coping traits. Consistent with this, carriers of a low-expressing FAAH variant (385A allele; rs324420) exhibited quicker habituation of amygdala reactivity to threat, and had lower scores on the personality trait of stress-reactivity. Our findings show that augmenting amygdala anandamide enables extinction-driven reductions in fear in mouse and may promote stress-coping in humans.
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A 32-Year Longitudinal Study of Child and Adolescent Pathways to Well-Being in Adulthood | 2012
Olsson, C.A., McGee, R., Nada-Raja,
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Journal of Happiness Studies, 2012, 14(14), 1069-1083.
DOI 10.1007/s10902-012-9369-8
Our ref: RO629
The purpose of the study was to investigate the relative importance of child and adolescent social and academic pathways to well-being in adulthood (32-years) indicated by a sense of meaning, social engagement, positive coping and prosocial values. Data were drawn from a 15 wave (32-year) longitudinal study of the health and development of around 1000 New Zealanders (Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study, New Zealand). Moderate continuity in social connectedness (0.38) and high continuity in academic ability (0.90) was observed across childhood and adolescence. Adolescent social connectedness was a better predictor of adult well-being than academic achievement (0.62 vs. 0.12). There was evidence of an indirect pathway from adolescent academic achievement to adult well-being through social connectedness (0.29). Indicators of well-being in adulthood appear to be better explained by social connection rather than academic competencies pathways. Implications for promoting longer term well-being during the school years are discussed.
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Construct validity of Locker | 2012
Thomson, W. M. , Mejia, G.C., Broadbent,
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Journal of Dental Research, 2012, 91(91), 1038-1042.
http://jdr.sagepub.com/content/91/11/1038
Our ref: RO628
With clinical oral examinations not always possible in health surveys, researchers may instead be invited to add questions to a wider health survey. In such situations, an item is needed which adequately represents both clinical and self-reported oral health. This study investigated the clinical validity of Locker’s global self-reported oral health item among young middle-aged adults in populations in New Zealand and Australia. Clinical examination and self-report data (including the OHIP-14) were obtained from recent national dental surveys in NZ and Australia, and from age-38 assessments in the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study. National dataset analyses involved 35- to 44-year-olds. Caries and tooth-loss experience showed mostly consistent, statistically significant gradients across the Locker item responses; those responding ‘Excellent’ had the lowest scores, and those responding ‘Poor’ the highest. Periodontitis experience gradients in the NZ national sample were mainly as hypothesized; those rating their oral health as ‘Poor’ had the highest disease experience. OHIP-14 gradients across the Locker item responses were consistent and as hypothesized. The proportion of disease in the population borne by those ‘Fair’ or ‘Poor’ ranged from 26% to 72%. These findings provide preliminary support for the measure’s validity as a global self-reported oral health measure in young middle-aged adults.
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Social inequality in oral health | 2012
Thomson, W. M.
Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology , 2012, 40(40), 28-32.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1600-0528.2012.00716.x/pdf
Our ref: RO627
Social inequalities in oral health are observable regardless of the population, the culture, the method of social classification or the measure of oral health or disease. They exist because of socially determined differences in opportunity, behaviours, beliefs and exposure to the myriad factors which determine our oral health. Behaviours and practices which affect oral health are embedded in the normal patterns of everyday life; those (in turn) are socially determined and differ across the continuum of social status. This presentation focuses primarily on social inequalities in incremental tooth loss because (i) it is a condition which has been shown to have the greatest effect on people's oral-health-related quality of life, and (ii) it is cumulative and irreversible. Most of the knowledge base on social inequalities in tooth loss comes from cross-sectional studies; investigating the phenomenon in a birth cohort can be more informative because it allows us to determine what happens to those inequalities through the life course. Data on incremental tooth loss from a longstanding cohort study (the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study) are presented to illustrate the cumulative and pervasive effect of social inequalities and changes in social status between childhood and adulthood.
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Does amblyopia have a functional impact? Findings from the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study | 2012
Wilson, G.A., Welch, D.
Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology, 2012, 41(41), 127-134.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1442-9071.2012.02842.x/pdf
Our ref: RO626
Background: Existing data on the functional impact of amblyopia are conflicting. The functional impact of amblyopia is a critical component of the viability and effectiveness of childhood vision screening programmes and treatment regimes. Design: Prospective longitudinal birth cohort (the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study). Participants: 1037 children born in Dunedin, New Zealand, between April 1972 and March 1973, assessed from ages 3 to 32 years. Methods: Comparison of study members with No Amblyopia, Recovered Amblyopia, Possible Amblyopia, or Amblyopia according to both Classic (6/12 visual acuity or worse in at least one eye or a two-line or greater differential between the visual acuity in both eyes) and Modern (6/9 visual acuity or worse in at least one eye) definitions of amblyopia. Main outcome measures: Childhood motor development, teenage self-esteem and adult socioeconomic status (assessed by occupation, education, reading ability and income). Results: There was no evidence of poorer motor development, lower self-esteem, or reduced adult socioeconomic status in study members with Amblyopia or Recovered Amblyopia when compared to those with No Amblyopia. Conclusions: Amblyopia or having Recovered Amblyopia does not functionally impact on childhood motor development, teenage self-esteem or adult socio-economic status within this cohort. The wide range of visual deficits and adaptations that are known to occur in amblyopic vision do not translate into important “real life” outcomes for the study members with Amblyopia or Recovered Amblyopia. The age-related cumulative lifetime risk of bilateral visual impairment in amblyopia will be assessed in future studies.
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Persistent Cannabis Users Show Neuropsychological Decline from Childhood to Midlife | 2012
Meier, M.H., Caspi, A., Ambler,
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PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA) , 2012, 109(109), E2657-64.
doi:10.1073/pnas.1206820109
Link to full publication »
Our ref: RO624
Recent reports show that fewer adolescents believe that regular cannabis use is harmful to health. Concomitantly, adolescents are initiating cannabis use at younger ages, and more adolescents are using cannabis on a daily basis. The purpose of the present study was to test the association between persistent cannabis use and neuropsychological decline and determine whether decline is concentrated among adolescent-onset cannabis users. Participants were members of the Dunedin Study, a prospective study of a birth cohort of 1,037 individuals followed from birth (1972/1973) to age 38 y. Cannabis use was ascertained in interviews at ages 18, 21, 26, 32, and 38 y. Neuropsychological testing was conducted at age 13 y, before initiation of cannabis use, and again at age 38 y, after a pattern of persistent cannabis use had developed. Persistent cannabis use was associated with neuropsychological decline broadly across domains of functioning, even after controlling for years of education. Informants also reported noticing more cognitive problems for persistent cannabis users. Impairment was concentrated among adolescent-onset cannabis users, with more persistent use associated with greater decline. Further, cessation of cannabis use did not fully restore neuropsychological functioning among adolescent-onset cannabis users. Findings are suggestive of a neurotoxic effect of cannabis on the adolescent brain and highlight the importance of prevention and policy efforts targeting adolescents.
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Does Being an Older Parent Attenuate the Intergenerational Transmission of Parenting? | 2012
Belsky, J., Hancox, R. J. , Sligo,
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Developmental Psychology, 2012, 48(48), 1570-1574.
Our ref: RO623
Evidence that the transition to parenthood is occurring at older ages in the Western world, that older parents provide more growth-facilitating care than do younger ones, and that most prospective studies of the intergenerational transmission of parenting have focused on relatively young parents led us to evaluate whether parental age might moderate'and attenuate'the intergenerational transmission of parenting. On the basis of the seemingly commonsensical assumption that as individuals age they often become more psychologically mature and have more opportunity to reflect upon and free themselves from the legacy of childhood experiences, we hypothesized that deferring parenting would weaken links between rearing experiences in the family of origin and parenting in the family of procreation. To test this proposition we repeated analyses reported by Belsky, Jaffee, Sligo, Woodward, and Silva (2005) on 227 parents averaging 23 years of age linking rearing experiences repeatedly measured from 3 to 15 years of age with observed parenting in adulthood; we added 273 participants who became parents at older ages than did those in the original sample. Although previously reported findings showing that rearing history predicted mothering but not fathering reemerged, parental age generally failed to moderate the intergenerational transmission of parenting. Other investigators prospectively following children and adults into adulthood and studying the intergenerational transmission process should determine whether these null results vis-'-vis the attenuation of transmission with age obtain when parents with older children are studied or when other methods are used.
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Relevance of birth cohorts to assessment of asthma persistence | 2012
Hancox, R. J. , Subbarao, P.J., Sears,
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Current Allergy and Asthma Reports , 2012, 12(12), 175-184.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22415313
Our ref: RO622
The definition of persistent asthma in longitudinal studies reflects symptoms reported at every assessment with no substantive asymptomatic periods. Early-childhood wheezing may be transient, especially if it is of viral etiology. Longitudinal studies provide greater opportunity to confirm the diagnosis by variability of symptoms, objective measurements, and therapeutic responses. Several clinical phenotypes of childhood asthma have been identified, with general consistency between cohorts. Persistent wheezing is often associated with loss of lung function, which is evident from early-childhood and related to persistent inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness. Female sex, atopy, airway responsiveness, and personal smoking, but not exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, are risk factors for persistence of childhood asthma into adulthood. The effect of breastfeeding remains controversial, but gene-environment interactions may partly explain outcomes. Understanding the natural history and underlying causes of asthma may lead to development of strategies for primary prevention.
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Polygenic Risk for Adult Obesity is Mediated by Rapid Childhood Growth: Evidence from a 4-Decade Longitudinal Study | 2012
Belsky, D.W., Moffitt, T.E., Houts,
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Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 2012, 166(166), 515-521.
Our ref: RO621
Objective To test how genomic loci identified in genome-wide association studies influence the development of obesity. Design A 38-year prospective longitudinal study of a representative birth cohort. Setting The Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study, Dunedin, New Zealand. Participants One thousand thirty-seven male and female study members. Main Exposures We assessed genetic risk with a multilocus genetic risk score. The genetic risk score was composed of single-nucleotide polymorphisms identified in genome-wide association studies of obesity-related phenotypes. We assessed family history from parent body mass index data collected when study members were 11 years of age. Main Outcome Measures Body mass index growth curves, developmental phenotypes of obesity, and adult obesity outcomes were defined from anthropometric assessments at birth and at 12 subsequent in-person interviews through 38 years of age. Results Individuals with higher genetic risk scores were more likely to be chronically obese in adulthood. Genetic risk first manifested as rapid growth during early childhood. Genetic risk was unrelated to birth weight. After birth, children at higher genetic risk gained weight more rapidly and reached adiposity rebound earlier and at a higher body mass index. In turn, these developmental phenotypes predicted adult obesity, mediating about half the genetic effect on adult obesity risk. Genetic associations with growth and obesity risk were independent of family history, indicating that the genetic risk score could provide novel information to clinicians. Conclusions Genetic variation linked with obesity risk operates, in part, through accelerating growth in the early childhood years after birth. Etiological research and prevention strategies should target early childhood to address the obesity epidemic.
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Undercontrolled temperament at age 3 predicts disordered gambling at age 32: a longitudinal study of a complete birth cohort | 2012
Slutske, W., Moffitt, T.E., Caspi,
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Psychological Science, 2012, 23(23), 510-516.
Link to full publication »
Our ref: RO620
Using data from the large, 30-year prospective Dunedin cohort study, we examined whether preexisting individual differences in childhood temperament predicted adulthood disordered gambling (a diagnosis covering the full continuum of gambling-related problems). A 90-min observational assessment at age 3 was used to categorize children into five temperament groups, including one primarily characterized by behavioral and emotional undercontrol. The children with undercontrolled temperament at 3 years of age were more than twice as likely to evidence disordered gambling at ages 21 and 32 than were children who were well-adjusted at age 3. These associations could not be explained by differences in childhood IQ or family socioeconomic status. Cleanly demonstrating the temporal relation between behavioral undercontrol and adult disordered gambling is an important step toward building more developmentally sensitive theories of disordered gambling and may put researchers in a better position to begin considering potential routes to disordered-gambling prevention through enhancing self-control and emotional regulation.
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Impact of dental visiting trajectory patterns on clinical oral health and oral-health-related quality of life | 2012
Crocombe, L. A. , Broadbent, J. M. , Thomson,
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Journal of Public Health Dentistry, 2012, 72(72), 36-44.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1752-7325.2011.00281.x/full
Our ref: RO619
Background: Previous studies have shown variation in long-term dental visiting but little is known about the oral health outcomes of such variation. Objective: The objective of this study is to determine the association of different dental visiting trajectories with dental clinical and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) indicators. Methods: This study utilized data from the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study, a continuing longitudinal study of 1,037 babies born in Dunedin (New Zealand) between April 1, 1972 and March 31, 1973. Data presented here were collected at ages 15, 18, 26, and 32 years. Three categories of dental attendance were identified in earlier research, namely: regulars (n = 285, 30.9 percent of the cohort), decliners (441, 55.9 percent), and opportunistic users (107, 13.1 percent). Results: There was a statistically significant association between opportunistic dental visiting behavior and decayed missing and filled surfaces score (Beta = 3.9) as well as missing teeth because of caries (Beta = 0.7). Nonregular dental visiting trajectories were associated with higher Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) scores (Beta = 2.1) and lower self-rated oral health scores (prevalence ratio = 0.8). Conclusion: Long-term, postchildhood dental attendance patterns are associated with oral health in adulthood, whether defined by clinical dental indicators or OHRQoL. Improving dental visiting behavior among low socioeconomic status groups would have the greatest effect on improving oral health and reducing oral health impacts.
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Family history and oral health: findings from the Dunedin Study | 2012
Shearer, D.M., Thomson, W. M. , Caspi,
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Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology , 2012, 40(40), 105-115.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1600-0528.2011.00641.x/full
Our ref: RO618
Context: The effects of the oral health status of one generation on that of the next within families are unclear. Objective: To determine whether parental oral health history is a risk factor for oral disease. Methods: Oral examination and interview data were collected during the age-32 assessments in the Dunedin Study. Parental data were also collected on this occasion. The sample was divided into two familial-risk groups for caries / tooth loss (high risk and low risk) based on parents' self-reported history of tooth loss at the age-32 assessment interview. Main outcome measures: Probands' dental caries and tooth loss status at age 32, together with lifelong dental caries trajectory (age 532). Results: Caries / tooth loss risk analysis was conducted for 640 proband-parent groups. Reference groups were the low-familial-risk groups. After controlling for confounding factors (sex, episodic use of dental services, socio-economic status and plaque trajectory), the prevalence ratio (PR) for having lost 1+ teeth by age 32 for the high-familial-risk group was 1.41 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.05, 1.88] and the rate ratio for DMFS at age 32 was 1.41 (95% CI 1.24, 1.60). In the high-familial-risk group, the PR of following a high caries trajectory was 2.05 (95% CI 1.37, 3.06). Associations were strongest when information was available about both parents' oral health. Nonetheless, when information was available for one parent only, associations were significant for some outcomes. Conclusions: People with poor oral health tend to have parents with poor oral health. Family / parental history of oral health is a valid representation of the intricacies of the shared genetic and environmental factors that contribute to an individual's oral health status. Associations are strongest when data from both parents can be obtained.
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Can Childhood Factors Predict Workplace Deviance? | 2012
Piquero, N.L., Moffitt, T.E.
Justice Quarterly, 2012, 1-29.
doi.org/10.1080/07418825.2012.661446
Link to full publication »
Our ref: RO617
Compared to the more common focus on street crime, empirical research on workplace deviance has been hampered by highly select samples, cross-sectional research designs, and limited inclusion of relevant predictor variables that bear on important theoretical debates. A key debate concerns the extent to which childhood conduct-problem trajectories influence crime over the life-course, including adults' workplace crime, whether childhood low self-control is a more important determinant than trajectories, and/or whether each or both of these childhood factors relate to later criminal activity. This paper provides evidence on this debate by examining two types of workplace deviance: production and property deviance separately for males and females. We use data from the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study, a birth cohort followed into adulthood, to examine how childhood factors (conduct-problem trajectories and low self-control) and then adult job characteristics predict workplace deviance at age 32. Analyses revealed that none of the childhood factors matter for predicting female deviance in the workplace but that conduct-problem trajectories did account for male workplace deviance.
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Patterns of sexual partnering and reproductive history: Associations with timing of first birth in a birth cohort | 2012
van Roode, T., Dickson, N., Sharples,
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Perspective on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 2012, 44(44), 48-56.
doi: 10.1363/4404812
Our ref: RO615
CONTEXT:The associations between timing of first live birth and previous sexual behavior and pregnancies are not well understood. METHODS: Members of a 1972'1973 New Zealand birth cohort were surveyed at ages 21, 26 and 32 about their sexual and reproductive histories; 506 men and 479 women participated in at least one assessment. Relative risks and 95% confidence intervals were calculated using Poisson regression to examine associations between the likelihood of first live birth at specific ages (prior to age 21, at age 21'25, at age 26'31) and selected characteristics. RESULTS: Birth prior to age 21 was more likely for men and women who initiated intercourse before age 15 (relative risks, 3.1 and 2.0, respectively), and less likely for those who initiated at age 18 or later (0.3 and 0.1, respectively), than for those aged 15'17 at first coitus. Prior miscarriage was associated (although sometimes marginally) with an elevated likelihood of first birth across genders and ages (1.7'1.8). Prior abortion was associated with an elevated likelihood of first birth at age 21'25 for women (1.6) and a reduced likelihood at age 26'31 for men (0.5). Having multiple sexual partners at age 21'25 was negatively associated with the likelihood of a first birth at age 26'31 for men. Marriage and cohabitation were positively associated with birth timing. CONCLUSIONS: Early sexual initiation and relationship instability may promote parenthood at younger ages, whereas greater relationship stability may do so at older ages.
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How do we capture 15 years of complex and meaningful data about young people's lives? | 2011
Sligo, J., Buxton, J., McComb,
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New Zealand Journal of Social Sciences Online: Kotuitui, 2011, 6(6), 37-49.
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1177083X.2011.614624
Our ref: NZ93
This paper describes the development of a method of data collection, which captures the complexity of living situations, family dynamics and key life events of teenagers. This ‘Life History Calendar’ was adapted from earlier life history calendar methods for a multidisciplinary intergenerational study. The new calendar is able to record details of 15 years of teenage participants’ lives and can be administered to teenagers and their parents to show changes over individual lives and difference between individuals in a cohort. Referring to some preliminary data, we show that the calendar is a practical and effective method of data collection, which will be useful to researchers and practitioners working with young people and their families.
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Serotonin transporter gene moderates childhood maltreatment's effects on persistent but not single-episode depression: Replications and implications for resolving inconsistent results | 2011
Uher, R., Caspi, A., Houts,
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Journal of Affective Disorders, 2011, 135(135), 56-65.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165032711000930
Our ref: RO616
Objective: To investigate whether subtypes of depression predict differential outcomes of treatment with selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) and a tricyclic antidepressant in major depression. Method: Among 811 adults with moderate-to-severe depression, melancholic, atypical, anxious and anxious-somatizing depression subtypes established at baseline were evaluated as predictors of outcome of treatment with flexible dosage of the SSRI escitalopram or the tricyclic antidepressant nortriptyline. The primary outcome measure was the MontgomeryÅsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). Secondary outcome measures were the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD-17) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Results: Melancholic depression was associated with slightly worse outcomes among individuals treated with escitalopram, but did not affect outcome of treatment with nortriptyline. The interaction between melancholic depression and drug did not reach statistical significance for the primary outcome measure and significant results for secondary outcome measures were not robust in sensitivity analyses. Atypical depression was unrelated to outcome of treatment with either antidepressant. Anxious and anxious-somatizing depression did not predict outcome on the primary measure, but inconsistently predicted worse outcome in some secondary analyses. Limitations: Some participants were non-randomly allocated to drug. Therefore, drug-bypredictor interactions had to be validated in sensitivity analyses restricted to the 468 randomly allocated individuals. Conclusions: Melancholic, atypical or anxious depression, are not sufficiently robust differential predictors of outcome to help clinician choose between SSRI and tricyclic antidepressants. There is a need to investigate other predictors of outcome.
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Victimization, posttraumatic stress disorder symptomatology and later non-suicidal self-harm in a birth cohort | 2011
Nada-Raja, S. , Skegg, K. M.
Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 2011, 26(26), 3667�3681.
DOI: 10.1177/0886260511403757 http://jiv.sagepub.com/content/26/18/3667.full.pdf+html
Our ref: RO614
This longitudinal population-based study examined pathways to nonsuicidal self-harm (NSSH) in relation to childhood sexual abuse (CSA), assault victimization in early adulthood, posttraumatic stress disorder symptomatology (PTSD), and other mental disorders. At age 21,476 men and 455 women completed interviews on assaultvictimization, PTSD, andother mental disorders. At age 26, they completed independent interviews on self-harm and childhood sexual abuse (CSA). Multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine predictors for NSSH at age 26. For men, anxiety and depressive disorders at age 21 were the only significant predictors of NSSH at age 26. For women, victimization, PTSD, and other anxiety disorders at age 21 all significantly predicted NSSH. CSA predicted later NSSH only indirectly, by increasing the risk of anxiety disorders among men and of assault victimization among women. In conclusion, pathways to nonsuicidal self-harm differed by sex. For women there were direct links with assault victimization and PTSD in early adulthood, whereas for men only internalizing disorders predicted future NSSH.
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Challenges in comparing the methods and findings of cohort studies of oral health: the Dunedin (New Zealand) and Pelotas (Brazil) studies | 2011
Peres, M.A., Thomson, W. M. , Peres,
... Show all »
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 2011, 35(35), 549-556.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1753-6405.2011.00736.x/abstract
Our ref: RO613
Objective: to systematically compare methods and some findings from two prospective cohort studies of oral health. Methods : This paper describes and compares two such population-based birth cohort studies of younger adults: the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study (conducted in New Zealand); and the 1982 Pelotas Birth Cohort Study (conducted in Brazil). Results: The two cohorts showed socio-demographic similarities and differences, with their gender mixes being similar, but their ethnic compositions differing markedly. There were some important similarities and differences in methods. Overall dental caries experience was higher among the Dunedin cohort. Each of the studies has examined the association between childhood-adulthood changes in socio-economic status and oral health in the mid-20s. Both studies observed the greatest disease experience among those who were of low SES in both childhood and adulthood, and the least among those who were of high SES in both childhood and adulthood. In each cohort, disease experience in the upwardly mobile and downwardly mobile groups lay between those two extremes. Conclusions and implications: There are important similarities and differences in both methods and findings. While the need for a degree of methodological convergence in future is noted, the two studies are able to use each other as replicate samples for research into chronic oral conditions.
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Effects of smoking cannabis on lung function | 2011
Lee, M.H.S., Hancox, R. J.
Expert Review of Respiratory Medicine, 2011, 5(5), 537-547.
doi/abs/10.1586/ers.11.40
Link to full publication »
Our ref: RO612
Although cannabis (or marijuana) is the world's most widely-used illicit drug, there has been surprisingly little research into its effects on respiratory health. Part of the problem is the inherent difficulty of studying the long-term effects of an illegal habit. It has often been assumed that smoking cannabis will have similar long-term effects to smoking tobacco. Several recent observational studies suggest that this is not the case and that cannabis has quite different effects on the lung function. There are consistent findings that smoking cannabis is associated with large airway inflammation, symptoms of bronchitis, increased airway resistance and lung hyperinflation. The evidence that smoking cannabis leads to features of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, such as airflow obstruction and emphysema is not convincing. However, there are numerous case reports of bullous emphysema among cannabis smokers. These findings have not been confirmed in systematic analytical studies and probably represent uncommon adverse effects in very heavy cannabis smokers. There is now additional controversial evidence that cannabis is at least an occasional cause of respiratory malignancies, but again the evidence is inconclusive.
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Association between sleep duration and haemoglobin A1c in young adults | 2011
Hancox, R. J. , Landhuis, C.E.
Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 2011, Online First, doi:10.1136/jech-2011-200217.
Our ref: RO611
Background: Epidemiological and experimental evidence suggests that inadequate sleep can cause both obesity and impaired glucose tolerance. Short sleep duration in childhood appears to have a greater impact on the risk for adult obesity than adult sleep duration. The long-term effects of childhood sleep on glucose metabolism have not been investigated. The authors assessed the associations between childhood and adult sleep duration and adult glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) levels. Methods: An unselected cohort of 1037 individuals, born in Dunedin, New Zealand, between 1972 and 1973. Parent reports of times in bed at ages 5, 7, 9 and 11 were used to estimate childhood sleep duration. Adult sleep duration was estimated from self-reported times in bed at age 32. HbA1c levels were measured at age 32. Pregnant women and participants with diabetes were excluded from the analyses. Results: Childhood sleep duration did not predict adult HbA1c. However, less time spent in bed at age 32 was associated with higher levels of HbA1c (p=0.002) and an increased risk of prediabetes (p=0.015). The inverse association between adult sleep times and HbA1c was independent of body mass index, smoking, socioeconomic status, shift work and symptoms of obstructive sleep apnoea. Conclusions: Short sleep duration is associated with higher levels of HbA1c and an increased risk of prediabetes in young adults. The findings suggest that inadequate sleep impairs glucose control in the short term and may increase the risk for long-term health problems.
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Personality and oral Health | 2011
Thomson, W. M. , Caspi, A., Poulton,
... Show all »
European Journal of Oral Science, 2011, 119(119), 366-372.
Link to full publication »
Our ref: RO610
We investigated age-26 personality characteristics and age-32 oral health in a prospective study of a complete birth cohort born in Dunedin, New Zealand. Personality was measured using the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire (MPQ). Oral health was measured using the short-form Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14), a global measure, and dental examinations. Personality profiles were constructed for 916 individuals (50.8% men) using standardized MPQ scores, and multivariate analyses examined their association with oral health. Those reporting 1+ OHIP-14 impacts had higher Negative Emotionality scores (and lower Constraint and Positive Emotionality MPQ superfactor scores) than those who did not. After controlling for gender, clinical status, and the other two MPQ superfactors, those scoring higher on Negative Emotionality had a greater risk of reporting 1+ OHIP-14 impacts, as well as 3+ OHIP-14 impacts and worse-than-average oral health. They also had a greater risk of having lost at least one tooth from caries and of having 3+ decayed surfaces. Personality characteristics appear to shape self-reports of oral health. Personality is also a risk factor for clinical disease status, at least with respect to dental caries and its sequelae. Because the attitudes and values tapped into by personality tests can be altered by brief cognitive interventions, those might be useful in preventive dentistry.
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Does maternal oral health predict child oral health-related quality of life in adulthood? | 2011
Shearer, D.M., Thomson, W. M. , Broadbent,
... Show all »
Health & Quality of Life Outcomes, 2011, 9(9), 50-57.
http://www.hqlo.com/content/9/1/50/abstract
Our ref: RO609
BACKGROUND: A parental/family history of poor oral health may influence the oral-health-related quality of life (OHRQOL) of adults. Objectives: To determine whether the oral health of mothers of young children can predict the OHRQOL of those same children when they reach adulthood. METHODS: Oral examination and interview data from the Dunedin Study's age-32 assessment, as well as maternal self-rated oral health data from the age-5 assessment were used. The main outcome measure was study members' short-form Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) at age 32. Analyses involved 827 individuals (81.5% of the surviving cohort) dentally examined at both ages, who also completed the OHIP-14 questionnaire at age 32, and whose mothers were interviewed at the age-5 assessment. RESULTS: There was a consistent gradient of relative risk across the categories of maternal self-rated oral health status at the age-5 assessment for having one or more impacts in the overall OHIP-14 scale, whereby risk was greatest among the study members whose mothers rated their oral health as poor/edentulous, and lowest among those with an excellent/fairly good rating. In addition, there was a gradient in the age-32 mean OHIP-14 score, and in the mean number of OHIP-14 impacts at age 32 across the categories of maternal self-rated oral health status. The higher risk of having one or more impacts in the psychological discomfort subscale, when mother rated her oral health as poor/edentulous, was statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that maternal self-rated oral health when a child is young has a bearing on that child's OHRQOL almost three decades later. The adult offspring of mothers with poor self-rated oral health had poorer OHRQOL outcomes, particularly in the psychological discomfort subscale.
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Risk factors prospectively associated with adult obsessive-compulsive symptom dimensions and obsessive-compulsive disorder | 2011
Grisham, J. R. , Fullana, M. A. , Mataix-Cols,
... Show all »
Psychological Medicine, 2011, 41(41), 2495-2506.
Link to full publication »
Our ref: RO608
BACKGROUND: Very few longitudinal studies have evaluated prospective neurodevelopmental and psychosocial risk factors for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Furthermore, despite the heterogeneous nature of OCD, no research has examined risk factors for its primary symptom dimensions, such as contamination/washing.Method: Potential risk factors for symptoms or diagnosis of OCD in adulthood and for specific adult obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptom dimensions were examined in the Dunedin Study birth cohort. The presence of obsessions and compulsions and psychological disorders was assessed using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS) at ages 26 and 32 years. Individuals with a diagnosis of OCD at either age (n=36) were compared to both a healthy control group (n=613) and an anxious control group (n=310) to determine whether associations between a risk factor and an OCD diagnosis were specific. RESULTS: Childhood neurodevelopmental, behavioral, personality and environmental risk factors were associated with a diagnosis of OCD and with OC symptoms at ages 26 and 32. Social isolation, retrospectively reported physical abuse and negative emotionality were specific predictors of an adult OCD diagnosis. Of note, most risk factors were associated with OC symptoms in adulthood and several risk factors predicted specific OCD dimensions. Perinatal insults were linked to increased risk for symmetry/ordering and shameful thoughts dimensions, whereas poor childhood motor skills predicted the harm/checking dimension. Difficult temperament, internalizing symptoms and conduct problems in childhood also predicted specific symptom dimensions and lower IQ non-specifically predicted increased risk for most dimensions. CONCLUSIONS: The current findings underscore the need for a dimensional approach in evaluating childhood risk factors for obsessions and compulsions.
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Adolescent, and their parents, attitudes towards graduated driver licensing and subsequent risky driving and crashes in young adulthood | 2011
Brookland, R. , Begg, D. J.
Journal of Safety Research, 2011, 42(42), 109-115.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00224375
Our ref: RO607
Problem: Although Graduated Driver Licensing Systems (GDLS) have helped reduce young driver crash rates, they remain significantly over-represented in crash statistics. To be effective GDLS rely heavily on support for the legislation by those directly involved; parents to enforce the restrictions and adolescents to comply. There is some evidence that practices regarding GDLS restrictions influence adolescent driving outcomes in the early stage of licensure. However there has been no examination undertaken on the influence of parent and adolescent attitudes toward GDLS on adolescents’ driving behavior and crash experiences as they move into their young adult years. The aim of this research was to examine these relationships. Method: This investigation was based on a longitudinal study of a birth cohort, and uses data collected when the cohort members were aged 15, 18, and 21years. At age 15 both adolescent and their parent attitudes toward GDLS were measured. At age 18 adolescent GDLS attitudes were measured again. The association between these measures and self-reported risky driving behavior and crash involvement at age 21 were examined. Results: Negative attitudes toward the learner supervisor restriction for males, and negative attitudes toward a GDLS for females were strongly associated with risky driving and crash involvement as young adults. Impact on industry: Targeting interventions to improve adolescents and parents understanding of the reasons for graduated licensing and the specific restrictions may improve attitudes and views and thereby contribute to a reduction in risky driving behaviors and crash risk among young adults.
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Dental plaque and oral health during the first 30 years of life | 2011
Broadbent, J. M. , Thomson, W. M. , Boyens,
... Show all »
Journal of the American Dental Association, 2011, 142(142), 415-426.
http://jada.ada.org/cgi/content/full/142/4/415
Our ref: RO606
BACKGROUND: Studies investigating the role of dental plaque in oral disease have focused primarily on the quantity and quality of plaque at a given point in time. No large-scale epidemiologic research has been conducted regarding the continuity and change in plaque levels across the long term and the association of plaque levels with oral health. METHODS: The authors used data from the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study. Collection of dental plaque data occurred at ages 5, 9, 15, 18, 26 and 32 years by means of the Simplified Oral Hygiene Index. The authors assessed oral health outcomes when participants were aged 32 years. Figure 1Plaque trajectory group plots. Simplified Oral Hygiene Index (OHI-S) plaque scores, according to age. RESULTS: The authors identified three plaque trajectory groups (high, n = 357; medium, n = 450; and low; n = 104) and found substantial, statistically significant differences in both caries and periodontal disease experience among those groups. For example, after the authors controlled for sex, socioeconomic status and dental visiting pattern, they found that participants in the high-plaque-trajectory group lost nearly five times more teeth owing to caries than did those in the low-plaque-trajectory group. CONCLUSIONS: Across the long term, participants in the high-plaque-trajectory group were more likely to experience caries, periodontal disease and subsequent tooth loss than were those in the low- or medium-plaque-trajectory groups, and they experienced all those conditions with greater severity. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Improving oral health requires emphasizing long-term self-care, as well as providing broad public health and health promotion measures that promote and support oral self-care. This study's findings suggest that poor oral hygiene and smoking have a synergistic effect on periodontal disease experience.
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Maternal oral health predicts their children | 2011
Shearer, D.M., Thomson, W. M. , Broadbent,
... Show all »
Journal of Dental Research, 2011, 90(90), 672-677.
http://jdr.sagepub.com/content/90/5/672
Our ref: RO605
The long-term effects of poor maternal oral health are unknown. We determined whether maternal oral health when children were young was a risk indicator for caries experience in adulthood, using oral examination and interview data from age-5 and age-32 assessments in the Dunedin Study, and maternal self-rated oral health data from the age-5 assessment. The main outcome measure was probands’ caries status at age 32. Analyses involved 835 individuals (82.3% of the surviving cohort) dentally examined at both ages, whose mothers were interviewed at the age-5 assessment. There was a consistent gradient in age-32 caries experience across the categories of maternal self-rated oral health status (from the age-5 assessment): it was greatest among the probands whose mothers rated their oral health as “poor” or who were edentulous, and lowest among those whose mothers rated their oral health as “excellent”. Unfavorable maternal self-rated oral health when children are young should be regarded as a risk indicator for poor oral health among offspring as they reach adulthood.
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Intergenerational continuity in periodontal health: findings from the Dunedin Study | 2011
Shearer, D.M., Thomson, W. M. , Caspi,
... Show all »
Journal of Clinical Periodontology, 2011, 38(38), 301-309.
DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-051X.2010.01687.x
Our ref: RO604
Objective: To determine whether parental periodontal disease history is a risk factor for periodontal disease in adult offspring. Methods: Proband periodontal examination [combined attachment loss (CAL) at age 32, and incidence of CAL from ages 26 to 32] and interview data were collected during the age-32 assessments in the Dunedin Study. Parental data were also collected. The sample was divided into two familial-risk groups for periodontal disease (high- and low-risk) based on parents' self-reported periodontal disease. Results: Periodontal risk analysis involved 625 proband-parent(s) groups. After controlling for confounding factors, the high-familial-risk periodontal group was more likely to have 11 sites with 41mm CAL [relative risk (RR) 1.45; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.11'1.88], 21 sites with 41mm CAL (RR 1.45; 95% CI 1.03'2.05), 11 sites with 51mm CAL (RR 1.60; 95% CI 1.02'2.50), and 11 sites with 31mm incident CAL (RR 1.64; 95% CI 1.01'2.66) than the low-familial-risk group. Predictive validity was enhanced when information was available from both parents. Conclusions: Parents with poor periodontal health tend to have offspring with poor periodontal health. Family/parental history of oral health is a valid representation of the shared genetic and environmental factors that contribute to an individual's periodontal status, and may help to predict patient prognosis and preventive treatment need.
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Dental visiting trajectory patterns and their antecedents | 2011
Crocombe, L. A. , Broadbent, J. M. , Thomson,
... Show all »
Journal of Public Health Dentistry, 2011, 71(71), 23-31.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1752-7325.2010.00196.x/full
Our ref: RO603
Objective: This study aimed to test whether socioeconomic status (SES) in childhood may affect dental visiting patterns between ages 18 and 32 years. Methods: Using data from a complete birth cohort, childhood SES status was measured (using the New Zealand Elley-Irving index) at each study stage between birth and 15 years. Longitudinal dental visiting data were available for 833 study participants from ages 15, 18, 26, and 32, and these were analyzed by trajectory analysis. Results: Three separate dental visiting trajectories were identified; these were categorized as opportunists (13.1%), decliners (55.9%),and routine attenders (30.9%). Bivariate analyses showed low SES in childhood, male sex, and dental anxiety to be associated with membership of the 'opportunist' dental visiting trajectory. Multinomial logistic regression showed that low childhood SES and dental anxiety were statistically significant predictors for membership in the opportunist or decliner trajectories after accounting for potential confounding variables. Conclusion: Individuals who grew up experiencing low childhood SES were less likely to adopt a routine dental visiting trajectory in adulthood than those with a high childhood SES. Dental anxiety was also an important predictor of dental visiting patterns.
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A gradient of childhood self-control predicts health, wealth, and public safety | 2011
Moffitt, T.E., Arseneault, L., Belsky,
... Show all »
PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA), 2011, 108(108), 2693-2698.
doi:10.1073/pnas.1010076108
Link to full publication »
Our ref: RO602
Policy-makers are considering large-scale programs aimed at self-control to improve citizens' health and wealth and reduce crime. Experimental and economic studies suggest such programs could reap benefits. Yet, is self-control important for the health, wealth, and public safety of the population? Following a cohort of 1,000 children from birth to the age of 32 y, we show that childhood self-control predicts physical health, substance dependence, personal finances, and criminal offending outcomes, following a gradient of self-control. Effects of children's self-control could be disentangled from their intelligence and social class as well as from mistakes they made as adolescents. In another cohort of 500 sibling-pairs, the sibling with lower self-control had poorer outcomes, despite shared family background. Interventions addressing self-control might reduce a panoply of societal costs, save taxpayers money, and promote prosperity.
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Childhood hearing and its relationship with Tinnitus at thirty-two years of age | 2010
Dawes, P. J., Welch, D.
Annals of Otology, Rhinology & Laryngology, 2010, 119(119), 672-676.
Our ref: RO601.2
Objectives: Tinnitus is associated with hearing loss in adulthood, often resulting from noise or age, but it is not known whether children's hearing and/or middle ear health predispose them to tinnitus in adulthood. Methods: The participants were members of the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study, born in Dunedin, New Zealand, between April 1972 and March 1973. The base sample consisted of 1,037 children. Otitis media was assessed at 5,7, and 9 years of age; audiometry and tympanometry findings were recorded at 11 years of age, and a detailed description of the tympanic membrane was made at 15 years of age. At 32 years of age, 970 of the 1,015 living study members (96%) answered questions about tinnitus. Results: Children who had otitis media and a raised audiometric threshold went on to experience more tinnitus in adulthood than did those without middle ear disease or those who had otitis media without a raised threshold. In those who had recovered from otitis media, audiometric threshold elevation at lower and higher frequencies was associated with experiencing tinnitus in adulthood. Neither childhood otitis media alone nor elevated thresholds alone predicted adult tinnitus. Conclusions: Childhood otitis media with an associated hearing loss in the low and high frequencies was associated with a greater probability of experiencing tinnitus in adulthood.
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The Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study: tips and traps from a 40-year longitudinal study | 2010
Poulton, R., Moffitt, T.E.
International Journal of Behavioural Development, 2010, 34(34), 18-21.
Our ref: RO601
Overview of DMHDS - research strategy, research findings, sample retention strategies, challenges for launching new longitudinal research.
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Breath holding predicts reduced smoking intake but not quitting | 2010
Welch, D., McGee, R.
Open Addiction, 2010, 3(3), 39-42.
Our ref: RO600
Introduction: Cigarette smokers who attempt to quit may or may not relapse. Previous research has shown that breath-holding ability predicts successful quitting, and it has been suggested that breath-holding ability may be a marker of tolerance for uncomfortable physiological symptoms. Methods: We measured breath-holding ability and smoking in a large general-population birth cohort from age 21 to age 32. Results: Cross-sectionally, at age 21, breath-holding ability was greater in males who had quit smoking than in either current or non-smokers, while no such differences were observed amongst females. On the other hand, no prospective associations were detected between breath-holding ability and quitting smoking by age 32. Pack years smoked was lower amongst male smokers with better breath-holding ability at age 32. Discussion: While the cross-sectional finding in males was consistent with the hypothesis that those with more tolerance for breath holding would be more successful at quitting, there was no long-term effect to age 32. On the other hand, breath-holding was associated with reduced intake over time in males. A behavioural mechanism whereby longer breath holders smoke less because of a greater tolerance for the physical discomfort associated with intervals between cigarettes is consistent with these findings.
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Perceived out of control sexual behavior in a cohort of young adults from the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study | 2010
Skegg, K. M., Nada-Raja, S. , Dickson,
... Show all »
Archives of Sexual Behaviour, 2010, 39(39), 968-78.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19421850
Our ref: RO599
Out of control sexual behavior, also known as compulsive sexual behavior or sexual addiction, has not been studied in a representative sample of the general population. At age 32 years, 940 (93%) of 1,015 members of the birth cohort of the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study responded to a series of questions about sexual behavior, administered by computer. We enquired about sexual fantasies, urges or behavior that participants regarded as out of control during the previous year, and defined such experiences as out of control sexual experiences (OCSE). Nearly 13% of men and 7% of women reported OCSE in the past year. Women who reported such experiences were more likely than other women to have reported (elsewhere in the interview) having had high numbers of opposite sex partners, concurrent sexual relationships, or sex with a partner met on the internet, as well as a higher likelihood of same-sex attraction or behavior. Among men reporting OCSE, there was an association with having paid for heterosexual sex and with same-sex attraction and behavior. Few believed that OCSE had interfered with their lives (3.8% of all men and 1.7% of all women in the cohort). Only 0.8% of men and 0.6% of women reported that their actual sexual behavior had interfered with their lives. OCSE were also analyzed in relation to certain personality traits and to childhood sexual abuse (CSA). Some evidence of a link with impulsivity (women only) and negative affectivity was found. CSA was associated with OCSE among men. In conclusion, this population-based study has provided the first empirical estimations of the occurrence of OCSE and its relationship to a range of sexual behaviors in a representative sample.
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Consistency and reliability of self-reported lifetime number of heterosexual partners by gender and age in a cohort study | 2010
Bell, M.L., van Roode, T., Dickson,
... Show all »
Sexually Transmitted Diseases, 2010, 37(37), 425-431.
DOI: 10.1097/OLQ.0b013e3181d13ed8
Our ref: RO598
BACKGROUND:: The reported number of sexual partners is a variable used extensively in sexual health research. However, the reliability and consistency of this measure, and the statistical assessment of these attributes, are not well understood. METHODS:: Using data at ages 21, 26, and 32 years from a New Zealand birth cohort, we compared responses on the lifetime number of heterosexual sex partners to assess reliability and consistency. Differences by gender and age were considered, and the effect of number of sexual partners. A variety of analytical methods were used to explore statistical challenges of these data including variance estimation, fractional polynomial transformations, and quantile regression. RESULTS:: We found some level of discrepancy between reports of the number of sexual partners when assessed at different times is common, driven by those reporting a high number of partners who were disproportionately men. Men reported a higher lifetime number of partners than women at each age, and there were statistically significant differences by gender in (a) consistency between reports at different ages, and (b) reliability of reports as measured by both the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient and the Kappa statistic. CONCLUSIONS:: When considering reliability, multiple statistical approaches are necessary or conclusions can be misleading. Variance components should be examined when considering the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient. When modelling, robust methods like fractional polynomials and quantile regression should be employed to accommodate nonlinearity. Sensitivity analyses excluding participants whose partner number is in the upper 5% to 25% are informative, as these were shown to have the highest discrepancies.
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Adolescent screen-time and attachment to parents and peers | 2010
Richards, R., McGee, R., Williams,
... Show all »
Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 2010, 164(164), 258-262.
Our ref: RO597
Objective: To examine associations between screen-time (television, video/DVD, gaming, computer use) and attachment to parents and peers in two cohorts of adolescents, 16 years apart. Design: Cross-sectional data regarding screen-time and attachment to parents and peers were collected for two cohorts of adolescents, one in 1987/88 (Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development cohort, DMHDS) and one in 2004 (Youth Lifestyle Study cohort, YLS). Setting: Members of the DMHDS cohort were interviewed as part of a full day of assessment and members of the YLS cohort completed a self-report questionnaire in a supervised classroom setting. Participants: The DMHDS cohort (n = 976 at age 15) was aged 15 years in 1987/88. The YLS cohort (n = 3043) was aged 14 and 15 years in 2004. Main outcome measures: Low attachment to parents and peers as measured by the Inventory of Parent and Peer attachment. Results: More time spent television viewing and less time reading and doing homework were associated with low parent attachment for both cohorts. Among the YLS cohort, more time playing on a computer was also associated with low parent attachment. Among the DMHDS cohort, greater television viewing was associated with low peer attachment. Conclusion: Screen-time was associated with poor attachment to parents and peers in two cohorts of adolescents, 16 years apart. Given the importance of parental and peer attachment to adolescent health and development, concern about high levels of screen-time among adolescents is warranted.
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Long-term dental visiting patterns and adult oral health | 2010
Thomson, W. M. , Williams, S.M., Broadbent,
... Show all »
Journal of Dental Research, 2010, 89(89), 307-311.
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20093674
Our ref: RO596
To date, the evidence supporting the benefits of dental visiting comes from cross-sectional studies. We investigated whether long-term routine dental visiting was associated with lower experience of dental caries and missing teeth, and better self-rated oral health, by age 32. A prospective cohort study in New Zealand examined 932 participants' use of dentistry at ages 15, 18, 26, and 32. At each age, routine attenders (RAs) were identified as those who (a) usually visited for a check-up, and (b) had made a dental visit during the previous 12 months. Routine attending prevalence fell from 82% at age 15 to 28% by 32. At any given age, routine attenders had better-than-average oral health, fewer had teeth missing due to caries, and they had lower mean DS and DMFS scores. By age 32, routine attenders had better self-reported oral health and less tooth loss and caries. The longer routine attendance was maintained, the stronger the effect. Routine dental attendance is associated with better oral health.
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Static and dynamic cognitive deficits in childhood preceding adult schizophrenia: a 30-year study | 2010
Reichenberg, A., Caspi, A. , Harrington,
... Show all »
American Journal of Psychiatry, 2010, 167(167), 160-169.
Link to full publication »
Our ref: RO595
OBJECTIVE: Premorbid cognitive deficits in schizophrenia are well documented and have been interpreted as supporting a neurodevelopmental etiological model. The authors investigated the following three unresolved questions about premorbid cognitive deficits: What is their developmental course? Do all premorbid cognitive deficits follow the same course? Are premorbid cognitive deficits specific to schizophrenia or shared by other psychiatric disorders? METHOD: Participants were members of a representative cohort of 1,037 males and females born between 1972 and 1973 in Dunedin, New Zealand. Cohort members underwent follow-up evaluations at specific intervals from age 3 to 32 years, with a 96% retention rate. Cognitive development was analyzed and compared in children who later developed schizophrenia or recurrent depression as well as in healthy comparison subjects. RESULTS: Children who developed adult schizophrenia exhibited developmental deficits (i.e., static cognitive impairments that emerge early and remain stable) on tests indexing verbal and visual knowledge acquisition, reasoning, and conceptualization. In addition, these children exhibited developmental lags (i.e., growth that is slower relative to healthy comparison subjects) on tests indexing processing speed, attention, visual-spatial problem solving ability, and working memory. These two premorbid cognitive patterns were not observed in children who later developed recurrent depression. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that the origins of schizophrenia include two interrelated developmental processes evident from childhood to early adolescence (ages 7-13 years). Children who will grow up to develop adult schizophrenia enter primary school struggling with verbal reasoning and lag further behind their peers in working memory, attention, and processing speed as they get older.
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