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Background: Children with developmental language disorder (DLD) experience higher levels of peer victimization than their peers. However, it is not known if such associations reflect genetic and environmental confounding. We used a co-twin control design to investigate the association of language difficulties (DLD and separately poor pragmatic language) with peer victimization and compare the developmental trajectories of peer victimization across adolescence for those with and without language difficulties., Methods: Participants were 3,400 pairs of twins in the Twins Early Development Study (TEDS), a UK-based population birth cohort. Language abilities were assessed via online tests at age 11 and peer victimization was self-reported at ages 11, 14 and 16. Language difficulties were defined as language abilities at least -1.25 SD below the mean of the TEDS sample. We performed linear regressions and latent growth curve modeling at a population level and within monozygotic and same-sex dizygotic twin pairs., Results: At population level, youth with DLD experienced higher levels of peer victimization at ages 11 (β = 0.27, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 0.20-0.35), 14 (β = 0.15, 95% CI 0.03-0.27) and 16 (β = 0.17, 95% CI 0.03-0.32) and a sharper decline in peer victimization between ages 11 and 16 compared to their peers without DLD. The associations between DLD and peer victimization were reduced in strength and not statistically significant in within-twin models. Moreover, there was no difference in the rate of change in peer victimization between twin pairs discordant for DLD. Results were similar for the association of poor pragmatic language with peer victimization., Conclusions: Associations between language difficulties (DLD and separately, poor pragmatic language) and peer victimization were confounded by genetic and shared environmental factors. Identifying specific factors underlying these associations is important for guiding future work to reduce peer victimization among adolescents with language difficulties., (© 2024 The Authors. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.)

Objective: Children's experiences of peer victimization and peer aggression are strongly linked to their mental health. However, we do not know how this relationship is influenced by periods of restricted and unrestricted social interactions. In this study, we investigated the following: (1) the bidirectional association between children's peer problems and mental health; (2) individual differences in the joint development of peer victimization, peer aggression, and mental health; and (3) factors associated with joint trajectories over 13 months during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom., Method: Our sample consisted of 2,160 children 4 to 10 years of age for whom parents or carers/caregivers completed a baseline and at least 1 follow-up online survey between March 2020 and May 2021 as part of the COVID-19: Supporting Parents, Adolescents and Children during Epidemics (Co-SPACE) study. We used generalized linear models to examine bidirectional associations, group-based trajectory modeling to map joint trajectories, and multinomial logistic regressions to identify factors associated with trajectories., Results: Experiencing mental health difficulties during school closures increased the risk of experiencing peer victimization, but not peer aggression on return to school. Experiencing any peer problems during school closures did not predict subsequent mental health difficulties. The majority of children followed joint trajectories of low exposure to peer problems and mental health; however 16% to 17% of our sample followed joint trajectories of high exposure to peer problems and mental health. Low family income, family conflict, parental distress, special educational needs, and lack of friendships were associated with high exposure mental health and peer problem trajectories., Conclusion: Increasing children's mental health support during periods of isolation may not only reduce concurrent and future mental health problems but may also prevent subsequent peer problems for both vulnerable and non-vulnerable children., Study Preregistration Information: Co-SPACE (Covid-19: Supporting Parents, Adolescents and Children during Epidemics); https://osf.io/., (© 2023 The Authors.)

Background: Peer victimization is associated with a wide range of mental health problems in youth, yet few studies described its association with mental health comorbidities., Methods: To test the association between peer victimization timing and intensity and mental health comorbidities, we used data from 1216 participants drawn from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development, a population-based birth cohort. Peer victimization was self-reported at ages 6-17 years, and modeled as four trajectory groups: low, childhood-limited, moderate adolescence-emerging, and high-chronic. The outcomes were the number and the type of co-occurring self-reported mental health problems at age 20 years. Associations were estimated using negative binomial and multinomial logistic regression models and adjusted for parent, family, and child characteristics using propensity score inverse probability weights., Results: Youth in all peer victimization groups had higher rates of co-occurring mental health problems and higher likelihood of comorbid internalizing-externalizing problems [odds ratios ranged from 2.06, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.52-2.79 for childhood-limited to 4.34, 95% CI 3.15-5.98 for high-chronic victimization] compared to those in the low victimization group. The strength of these associations was highest for the high-chronic group, followed by moderate adolescence-emerging and childhood-limited groups. All groups also presented higher likelihood of internalizing-only problems relative to the low peer victimization group., Conclusions: Irrespective of timing and intensity, self-reported peer victimization was associated with mental health comorbidities in young adulthood, with the strongest associations observed for high-chronic peer victimization. Tackling peer victimization, especially when persistent over time, could play a role in reducing severe and complex mental health problems in youth.

Objectives: To describe (1) the developmental trajectories of peer victimization from 6 to 17 years of age and (2) the early childhood behaviors and family characteristics associated with the trajectories., Methods: We used data from 1760 children enrolled in the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development, a population-based birth cohort. Participants self-reported peer victimization at ages 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, 13, 15, and 17 years. Participants' behavior and family characteristics were measured repeatedly between ages 5 months and 5 years., Results: We identified 4 trajectories of peer victimization from 6 to 17 years of age: low (32.9%), moderate-emerging (29.8%), childhood-limited (26.2%), and high-chronic (11.1%). Compared with children in the low peer victimization trajectory, children in the other 3 trajectories were more likely to exhibit externalizing behaviors in early childhood, and those in the high-chronic and moderate-emerging trajectories were more likely to be male. Paternal history of antisocial behavior was associated with moderate-emerging (odds ratio [OR] = 1.54; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.09-2.19) and high-chronic (OR = 1.93; 95% CI = 1.25-2.99) relative to low peer victimization. Living in a nonintact family in early childhood was associated with childhood-limited (OR = 1.48; 95% CI = 1.11-1.97) and high-chronic (OR = 1.59; 95% CI = 1.09-2.31) relative to low peer victimization., Conclusions: Early childhood externalizing behaviors and family vulnerabilities were associated with the development of peer victimization. Some children entered the cascade of persistent peer victimization at the beginning of primary school. Support to these children and their families early in life should be an important component of peer victimization preventive interventions., Competing Interests: POTENTIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST: The authors have indicated they have no potential conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2020 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.)

Background: Childhood internalizing symptoms can be associated with adolescent internalizing symptoms, but only a small proportion of symptomatic children are at long-term risk. Our objectives were to (1) distinguish between typical and atypical levels of internalizing symptoms using mother- and teacher-assessments and (2) test the association between childhood internalizing symptoms and adolescent generalized anxiety, depression, and social phobia symptoms in boys and girls., Methods: Multi-trajectory models were used to estimate the evolution of mother- and teacher-reported internalizing symptoms across childhood (1.5 to 12 years) in a large population-based cohort (n = 1431). Multiple linear regression models were implemented to estimate the association between childhood group membership of internalizing symptoms and self-reported specific internalizing symptoms at 15 years by sex., Results: Five groups of childhood internalizing symptoms were identified: Mother & teacher low (22.6%), Mother moderate/teacher low (37.9%), Mother moderate/teacher high (18.3%), Mother high/teacher low (11.8%) and Mother & teacher high (9.5%). Multiple linear regression models showed that compared to the low group, (1) boys in the high group reported higher social phobia symptoms (p = 0.04), (2) girls in the high group reported higher depression (p = 0.01) and generalized anxiety (p < 0.01) symptoms, and (3) girls in the moderate/high group reported higher generalized anxiety symptoms (p = 0.02) in adolescence., Limitations: The main limitation is that mothers' and teachers' assessments mostly covered different developmental periods., Conclusions: A multi-informant assessment of childhood internalizing symptoms improves adolescent specific internalizing symptoms identification in a general population sample over reliance on a single informant., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest Financial Disclosure: The authors have indicated they have no financial relationships relevant to this article to disclose., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In experimental studies the assigned intervention measures the received intervention if full protocol adherence is achieved, but this is rarely the case in public health. The objective of this study was to estimate the effect of a brief counseling intervention delivered in Swedish dental clinics on tobacco use cessation, taking non-adherence into account. We conducted three secondary analyses. In a per-protocol analysis the experimental counseling delivered as intended was contrasted to usual care (control). In an as-treated analysis individuals were compared according to the counseling components actually received, disregarding randomization. In an instrumental variable analysis the effect of the intervention among those who would always be treated as assigned was estimated. Logistic regression was used to examine the association between tobacco cessation outcomes (seven-day abstinence, three-month abstinence, half-reduction, quit attempts) and the defined exposure to the intervention. Protocol adherence in the intervention group was 73.4%. The per-protocol analysis closely replicated the results of the intention-to-treat analysis, showing a statistically significant effect of the brief counseling on the reduction in tobacco consumption OR  = 1.81, 95% CI [1.06, 3.07], but no significant effect for other outcomes. In the as-treated analysis, receiving more counseling components compared with no tobacco counseling increased the likelihood of half-reduction. The instrumental variable yielded biased results. We conclude that despite application problems, conducting per-protocol, as-treated and instrumental variable analyses in randomized trials where experimental conditions are not strictly standardized strengthens and puts in context the inference based on intention-to-treat analysis.