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Objective: Assess the mental health, physical health, cognitive and language development of 10-year old children in families where mothers have reported intimate partner violence (IPV) compared with children with no reported IPV exposure., Design: Prospective pregnancy cohort. Maternal report of IPV (Composite Abuse Scale) at 1, 4 and 10 years. Maternal and direct assessment of child mental health (probable psychiatric diagnosis, anxiety and emotional/behavioural difficulties), cognition (IQ and executive function), language (general, pragmatic and receptive) and physical health at 10 years., Setting: A subsample of 615 mother-child dyads drawn from a pregnancy cohort of 1507 nulliparous women recruited from six public hospitals in Melbourne, Australia., Results: Any IPV exposure from infancy to age 10 was associated with poorer child outcomes at age 10. Specifically, twice the odds of a probable psychiatric diagnosis, emotional/behavioural difficulties, impaired language skills (general and pragmatic), and having consulted a health professional about asthma or sleep problems. IPV exposure at age 10 associated with two to three times higher odds of all mental health outcomes, elevated blood pressure and sleep problems. Early life exposure alone (at 1 and/or 4 years) associated with three times higher odds of a general language problem and asthma at age 10., Conclusion: The high prevalence of IPV and increased risk of poorer health and development among children exposed highlights the burden of ill health carried by children in families experiencing IPV. Fewer difficulties where exposure was limited to the early years builds the case for better identification, understanding and resourcing of effective early intervention., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2021. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

: media-1vid110.1542/5984232215001PEDS-VA&#95;2018-0977 Video Abstract OBJECTIVES: To examine profiles of infant regulatory behaviors and associated family characteristics in a community sample of 12-month-old infants and mental health difficulties at 5 and 11 years of age., Methods: Items relating to demographic characteristics, maternal distress, and infant regulation were completed by 1759 mothers when their infants were 8 to 12 months old. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire was completed by mothers at child ages 5 ( n = 1002) and 11 ( n = 871) years., Results: Analyses revealed 5 profiles ranging from the most settled infants (36.8%) to those with mainly sleep problems (25.4%), isolated mild-to-moderate tantrums (21.3%), complex regulatory difficulties (13.2%), and complex and severe regulatory difficulties (3.4%). Compared with those in the settled profile, children in the moderately unsettled profile were more likely to score in the clinical range for total difficulties at 11 years of age (odds ratio [OR] 2.85; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.28 to 6.36; P < .01), and children in the severely unsettled profile were more likely to score in the clinical range at 5 (OR 9.35; 95% CI: 2.49 to 35.11; P < .01) and 11 years of age (OR 10.37; 95% CI: 3.74 to 28.70; P < .01)., Conclusions: Infants with multiple moderate-to-severe regulatory problems experience substantially heightened odds of clinically significant mental health concerns during childhood, and these symptoms appear to worsen over time. Clinicians must inquire about the extent, complexity, and severity of infant regulatory problems to identify those in the most urgent need of intervention and support., Competing Interests: POTENTIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST: The authors have indicated they have no potential conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2019 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.)

Prior research provides mixed findings on the prevalence of sleep problems and mental health difficulties experienced by gifted children, with findings largely based on studies of small clinical samples. In a large, prospective, longitudinal, community cohort, the current study aimed to examine parent report of child sleep problems at ages 1, 2, 3 and 11, and child mental health difficulties at ages 5, 7 and 11 years, in gifted (IQ [greater than or equal to] 120; n = 192) compared to non-gifted children (IQ < 120; n = 1015). Parents completed questionnaires about their child's sleep and mental health difficulties, and children's intelligence was assessed at age 7. There were no significant differences between gifted and non-gifted children on prevalence of sleep problems at any age. Gifted children had significantly fewer symptoms of mental health difficulties than non-gifted children at multiple time points and showed 66% reduced odds for having mental health difficulties in the clinical range at 11 years of age. This study found no evidence that gifted children experience more sleep problems or more mental health difficulties than their peers during childhood.

Background: Maternal health is critical to the health and well‐being of children and families, but is rarely the primary focus of pregnancy and birth cohort studies. Globally, poor maternal health and the exposure of women and children to family violence contribute to the perpetuation and persistence of intergenerational health inequalities. Objectives: The Maternal Health Study was designed to investigate the contribution of social and obstetric risk factors to common maternal physical and psychological morbidities. Over time, our focus has expanded to include mother‐child pairs and investigation of intergenerational trauma and family violence. Population: A total of 1507 first‐time mothers were recruited in early pregnancy from six public hospitals in Melbourne, Australia, in 2003‐2005. Methods: Women completed questionnaires or telephone interviews in early pregnancy (≤24 weeks); at 32 weeks' gestation; at three, six, nine, 12 and 18 months postpartum; and at four and ten years. At ten years, women and children were invited to participate in face‐to‐face interviews, which included direct assessment of children's cognitive and language development. A wide range of obstetric, social and contextual factors have been measured, including exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) (1‐year, 4‐year and 10‐year follow‐up). Results: 1507 eligible women were recruited at a mean gestation of 15 weeks. At one year, four years and ten years postpartum, 90.0%, 73.1% and 63.2% of the original cohort took part in follow‐up. One in three women in the study (34.5%) reported exposure to IPV in the first ten years of motherhood: 19% in the first 12 months postpartum, 20% in the year prior to four‐year follow‐up and 18.3% in the year prior to ten‐year follow‐up. Conclusion: The study affords a unique opportunity to examine patterns of maternal and child health and health service use associated with exposure to IPV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intimate partner violence (IPV) between parents is associated with poorer child language development. This study aimed to examine pathways from IPV and maternal depressive symptoms in children's 1st year to language skills at 10 years. Pathways were examined via IPV, maternal depressive symptoms, and maternal involvement in home learning activities (e.g., reading, storytelling) at age 4. A secondary aim was to examine whether these pathways differed by child gender. Data were drawn from 1,507 mothers and their firstborn children participating in a community-based prospective longitudinal study. At child age 1 and 4 years, mothers reported IPV using the Composite Abuse Scale (CAS) and completed a depression scale. At child age 10 years, mothers completed the Children's Communication Checklist (2nd edition) Short Form and 4 pragmatic subscales, and children completed a receptive vocabulary test. Results provided some evidence that maternal depressive symptoms at 4 years postpartum may be an important mechanism by which exposure to IPV and maternal depressive symptoms in the child's 1st year is associated with poorer language at age 10. These pathways remained evident after accounting for social disadvantage, number of siblings, and concurrent IPV exposure at 10 years. There was little evidence that the pathways were mediated by maternal involvement or differed by gender. Implications for speech pathology, health, and education professionals concern identifying and supporting the language needs of children in family contexts where IPV is present. Intervention strategies for families affected by IPV such as supporting maternal mental health and the mother-child relationship could be extended to support child language development. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine whether infants with severe persistent sleep problems are at increased risk of (1) meeting diagnostic criteria for a psychiatric disorder (age 10 years), and (2) having elevated symptoms of mental health difficulties (ages 4 and 10 years), in comparison with infants with settled sleep.Design and Setting: Prospective longitudinal community cohort study-the Maternal Health Study. Mothers completed questionnaires/interviews at 15 weeks' gestation; 3, 6, 9 and 12 months post partum; and when their child turned 4 and 10 years old. Measures included parental report of infant night waking and sleep problems and child mental health (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire; Spence Children's Anxiety Scale; Development and Well-being Assessment).Participants: 1460 mother-infant dyads.Results: 283 (19.4%) infants had persistent severe sleep problems, 817 (56.0%) had moderate/fluctuating sleep problems and 360 (24.7%) infants were settled. Infants with persistent severe sleep problems were more likely to report emotional symptoms at age 4 (adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=2.70, 95% CI 1.21 to 6.05, p=0.02), and meet diagnostic criteria for an emotional disorder at age 10 (AOR=2.37, 95% CI 1.05 to 5.36, p=0.04). Infants with persistent severe sleep problems also had elevated symptoms of separation anxiety (AOR=2.44, 95% CI 1.35 to 4.41, p<0.01), fear of physical injury (AOR=2.14, 95% CI 1.09 to 4.18, p=0.03) and overall elevated anxiety (AOR=2.20, 95% CI 1.13 to 4.29, p=0.02) at age 10.Conclusions: Infants with persistent severe sleep problems during the first postnatal year have an increased risk of anxiety problems and emotional disorders at age 10. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Approximately one in four children in Australia have mothers who experience intimate partner violence (IPV). These children are at risk of poor mental health. Less is known about their language outcomes, despite evidence that childhood adversity threatens neurodevelopment, and the home environment effects language development. This study aimed to examine the relationship between early childhood IPV exposure and language outcomes (receptive vocabulary, general language, pragmatic language) at age 10, including the influence of maternal depressive symptoms. Participants were 615 mothers and their first-born child participating in a prospective, community-based pregnancy cohort study in Melbourne. Mothers reported their experience of IPV and depressive symptoms in the first and fourth year postpartum. At 10 years postpartum, children's receptive vocabulary was directly assessed and mothers reported on their child's general and pragmatic language skills. Exposure to IPV was related to scores indicating poorer abilities in receptive vocabulary (d =-0.26, p =.009), general language (d = 0.23, p =.047) and pragmatic language skills (d = 0.41, p <.001) at age 10. After adjusting for maternal depressive symptoms, evidence remained for the relationship with pragmatic language (d =-0.32, p =.006), and a trend for receptive vocabulary (d =-0.20, p =.052). At a community-level, children whose mothers experienced IPV during the child's first four years had poorer language skills in middle childhood than children whose mothers did not experience IPV. This is important because poor child language skills are associated with adverse outcomes across the lifespan including academic under-achievement and mental health problems. Clinical implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An increasing body of evidence supports associations between inflammation and mental health difficulties, but the onset and directionality of these relationships are unclear. Data sources: Barwon Infant Study (BIS; n = 500 4-year-olds) and Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC; n = 1099 10–13-year-olds). Measures: Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire emotional symptoms at 4, 10–11 and 12–13 years, and circulating levels of two inflammatory biomarkers, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and glycoprotein acetyls (GlycA), at 4 and 11–12 years. Analysis: Adjusted quantile regression models examining cross-sectional associations between emotional symptoms and inflammation in 4-year-olds (BIS), and cross-lagged associations in 10–13-year-olds (LSAC). We identified a small association between higher emotional symptoms at 10–11 years and higher GlycA levels a year later (standardised coefficient β = 0.09; 95%CI: 0.02 to 0.15). Sex-stratified analyses revealed this association was stronger for boys (β = 0.13; 95%CI: 0.04 to 0.21) than girls (β = 0.01; 95%CI: −0.09 to 0.11). These associations were not observed for hsCRP. There was little evidence of an association between higher GlycA or hsCRP at 11–12 years and emotional symptoms a year later, or cross-sectional associations between emotional symptoms and hsCRP or GlycA at 4 years. A single time-point of biomarker collection in late childhood precluded adjustment for baseline inflammatory biomarkers. Our results support the direction of association from emotional symptoms to inflammation in late childhood, with potential sex differences. This adds to the body of evidence that addressing emotional symptoms in childhood is a major priority in optimising overall health throughout the life course. • We utilized data from two prospective Australian birth cohort studies. • Our results support emotional symptoms influencing inflammation in late childhood. • This association was stronger in boys than girls. • We did not observe a cross-sectional association in early childhood. • Addressing emotional symptoms in childhood is key to optimise overall health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]