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Background: The effect of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) on offspring anxiety disorders in adolescence is not yet known. This study aims to examine the association between HDP and offspring anxiety disorders at age 15 years., Methods: We used data from 5231 mother-offspring pairs from the United Kingdom based Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). Anxiety disorder was diagnosed in the offspring at the age of 15 years using the Development and Well-Being Assessment (DAWBA)., Results: Among those who had anxiety disorders, 16.4% were exposed to HDP. After adjusting for a wide range of known confounders, we found that adolescents of women with HDP had a 2.43 fold (95% CI: 1.41-4.19) increase risk of anxiety disorders compared with adolescents of women without HDP., Conclusions: Our study showed that adolescents exposed to HDP had higher risk of anxiety disorders compared with unexposed adolescents and suggests that prevention and treatment of maternal HDP could possibly prevent offspring anxiety in adolescence. Early screening for anxiety disorders in offspring of women with HDP may also be warranted. Further research is needed to explain the pathways by which HDP may increase the risk of offspring psychopathology., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Child sexual abuse (CSA) has been associated with many adverse psychiatric outcomes. However, most studies have relied on retrospective self-report of exposure to CSA. We set out to investigate the incidence of CSA in the same birth cohort using both retrospective self-report and prospective government agency notification, and examine the psychological outcomes in young adulthood. The primary outcomes were measures of DSM-IV diagnoses (CIDI-Auto) at age 21. The 21-year retrospective CSA questions were completed by 3739 participants. CSA was self-reported by 19.3% of males and 30.6% of females. After adjustment for potential confounders, both self-reported and agency-notified CSA were associated with increased odds of lifetime major depressive disorder (MDD), anxiety disorders, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). For the first time in a birth cohort, this study has shown the disparity between the incidence of CSA when measured by self-report and government agency notification. Despite this discrepancy, adverse psychiatric outcomes are seen when CSA is defined using either method., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Studies testing the association between birth weight and depression or anxiety have found inconsistent results and there has been a lack of research on the possible relationship between birth weight and comorbid anxiety and depression. We tested for an association between lower birth weight and major depression, generalised anxiety and comorbid generalised anxiety and major depression., Method: Data was taken from 2113 mothers and their offspring participating in the Mater University Study of Pregnancy (MUSP) birth cohort. Generalised anxiety, major depression and comorbid generalised anxiety and major depression at 21 years were tested for associations with birth weight using multinomial logistic regression., Results: Lower birth weight was found to predict comorbid generalised anxiety and major depression, but did not predict either generalised anxiety or major depression., Limitations: We were unable to specify comorbidity by the primary disorder, or by the severity or recurrence of the depression., Conclusion: Previous associations found between birth weight and mental health may reflect a specific link between lower birth weight and comorbid generalised anxiety and major depressive disorders. As neither disorder individually was associated with lower birth weight, this may suggest that this developmental origin represents a unique risk pathway to comorbidity not shared with either discrete disorder., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: The Achenbach problem behaviour scales (CBCL/YSR) are widely used. The DSM-oriented anxiety and depression scales have been created to improve concordance between Achenbach's internalising scales and DSM-IV depression and anxiety. To date no study has examined the concurrent utility of the young adult (YASR) internalising scales, either the empirical or newly developed DSM-oriented depressive or anxiety scales., Methods: A sample of 2,551 young adults, aged 18-23 years, from an Australian cohort study. The association between the empirical and DSM-oriented anxiety and depression scales were individually assessed against DSM-IV depression and anxiety diagnoses derived from structured interview. Odds ratios, ROC analyses and diagnostic efficiency tests (sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values) were used to report findings., Results: YASR empirical internalising scale predicted DSM-IV mood disorders (depression OR = 6.9, 95% CI 5.0-9.5; anxiety OR = 5.1, 95% CI 3.8-6.7) in the previous 12 months. DSM-oriented depressive or anxiety scales did not appear to improve the concordance with DSM-IV diagnosed depression or anxiety. The internalising scales were much more effective at identifying those with comorbid depression and anxiety, with ORs between 10.1 and 21.7 depending on the internalising scale used., Conclusion: DSM-oriented scales perform no better than the standard internalising in identifying young adults with DSM-IV mood or anxiety disorder.

Recent evidence has linked birth weight to later behaviour/mental disorders, yet studies have hitherto neglected to investigate the relationship between birth weight and adult anxiety disorders. Prospectively collected data from 2210 mother/offspring pairs of the Mater University Study of Pregnancy (MUSP) birth cohort was used to test for associations between birth weight z-score and four major groupings of DSM-IV anxiety disorders. Birth weight z-score was linearly and inversely associated with lifetime diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorders at 21 years, with those falling within the smallest birth weight quintile group at almost two-fold increased odds (OR=1.96, 95% CI: 1.10, 3.52) of being diagnosed with the disorder compared to those falling within the largest group. The association remained when subsequent analysis restricted the sample to those exposed to trauma. This is the first study in which birth weight has been found to be associated with post-traumatic stress disorders in adults., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: This study examines the association between maternal anxiety from pregnancy to 5 years and child attention problems at 5 and 14 years., Method: Birth cohort of 3,982 individuals born in Brisbane between 1981 and 1983 are assessed. Self-reported measures of maternal anxiety are assessed at four time points. Maternal reports of child attention problems using Achenbach's Child Behavior Checklist are assessed at 5 and 14 years., Results: Children of mothers experiencing anxiety during or after pregnancy are at greater risk of experiencing attention problems at 5 and 14 years. After adjusting for maternal age and child's gender, antenatal anxiety is strongly associated with persistent attention problems (OR = 3.65, 95% CI = 2.19, 6.07). Children with chronically anxious mothers are 5.67 (95% CI = 3.56, 9.03) times more likely to have persistent attention problems. These associations remain consistent after adjusting for potential confounders., Conclusions: Maternal anxiety appears to increase the rate of child attention problems and identifies a need for treatment programs to have a dual focus-the mother and her child.

Objective: To examine whether age of first use or frequency of use of cannabis is associated with anxiety and depression (AD) in young adults, independent of known potential confounders, including the use of other illicit drugs., Method: A cohort of 3,239 Australian young adults was followed from birth to the age of 21 when data on AD were obtained from sample members along with information on their use of cannabis at 21 years. Potential confounding factors were prospectively measured when the child was born and at 14 years., Results: After controlling for confounding factors, those who started using cannabis before age 15 years and used it frequently at 21 years were more likely to report symptoms of AD in early adulthood (odds ratio 3.4; 95% CI 1.9-6.1). This association was of similar magnitude for those who had only used cannabis and those who reported having used cannabis and other illicit drugs., Conclusion: The relationship between early-onset and frequent use of cannabis and symptoms of AD is independent of individual and family backgrounds. Frequent cannabis use is associated with increased AD in young adults independently of whether the person also uses other illicit drugs.

BackgroundThe aims of the study were to describe the patterning and persistence of anxiety and depressive symptoms from adolescence to young adulthood and to examine long-term developmental relationships with earlier patterns of internalizing behaviours in childhood.MethodWe used parallel processes latent growth curve modelling to build trajectories of internalizing from adolescence to adulthood, using seven waves of follow-ups (ages 11–27 years) from 1406 participants of the Australian Temperament Project. We then used latent factors to capture the stability of maternal reported child internalizing symptoms across three waves of early childhood follow-ups (ages 5, 7 and 9 years), and examined relationships among these patterns of symptoms across the three developmental periods, adjusting for gender and socio-economic status.ResultsWe observed strong continuity in depressive symptoms from adolescence to young adulthood. In contrast, adolescent anxiety was not persistent across the same period, nor was it related to later depressive symptoms. Anxiety was, however, related to non-specific stress in young adulthood, but only moderately so. Although childhood internalizing was related to adolescent and adult profiles, the associations were weak and indirect by adulthood, suggesting that other factors are important in the development of internalizing symptoms.ConclusionsOnce established, adolescent depressive symptoms are not only strongly persistent, but also have the potential to differentiate into anxiety in young adulthood. Relationships with childhood internalizing symptoms are weak, suggesting that early adolescence may be an important period for targeted intervention, but also that further research into the childhood origins of internalizing behaviours is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundUnderstanding individual-level changes in mental health status after prison release is crucial to providing targeted and effective mental health care to ex-prisoners. We aimed to describe trajectories of psychological distress following prison discharge and compare these trajectories with mental health service use in the community.MethodThe Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) was administered to 1216 sentenced adult prisoners in Queensland, Australia, before prison release and approximately 1, 3 and 6 months after release. We used group-based trajectory modeling to identify K10 trajectories after release. Contact with community mental health services in the year following release was assessed via data linkage.ResultsWe identified five trajectory groups, representing consistently low (51.1% of the cohort), consistently moderate (29.8%), high increasing (11.6%), high declining (5.5%) and consistently very high (1.9%) psychological distress. Mood disorder, anxiety disorder, history of self-harm and risky drug use were risk factors for the high increasing, very high and high declining trajectory groups. Women were over-represented in the high increasing and high declining groups, but men were at higher risk of very high psychological distress. Within the high increasing and very high groups, 25% of participants accessed community mental health services in the first year post-release, for a median of 4.4 contact hours.ConclusionsFor the majority of prisoners with high to very high psychological distress, distress persists after release. However, contact with mental health services in the community appears low. Further research is required to understand barriers to mental health service access among ex-prisoners. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Introduction: Previous research has suggested that offspring of parents with mental health problems, including depression and anxiety, are at an increased risk of developing anxiety disorders. Few studies have investigated this relationship in young adults. Objectives: To investigate the risk of anxiety symptoms in young adult offspring of parents with mental health problems Methods: We used data from the 1989-1991 cohort of the Western Australian Pregnancy (Raine) Study, which is a multi-generational birth cohort study following mothers and their offspring from pregnancy to 28 years of age. The Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS) was used to assess maternal anxiety and depression whereas a self-reported questionnaire was used to assess paternal emotional problems. Anxiety symptoms among offspring at age 20 were measured by using the short form of the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS 21). A multivariable negative binomial regression model was used to quantify the associations. Results: After adjustment, maternal anxiety [RR 1.60 (95% CI 1.11-2.32)] and paternal emotional problems [RR 1.32 (95%CI 1.03-1.68)] were associated with an increased risk of anxiety in offspring at age 20 years. Conversely, maternal depressive symptoms [RR 1.04 (95%CI 0.84-1.32)] were not associated with an increased risk of anxiety in offspring. Conclusions: The present study suggests that maternal anxiety and paternal emotional problems were associated with an increased risk of anxiety in young adult offspring. However, maternal depressive symptoms were not associated with an increased risk of anxiety in the offspring. The findings suggest the potential for targeted screening and intervention of anxiety problems in the offspring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]