Exposure to pre- and postnatal depression and anxiety symptom trajectories: Effect on adolescent psychiatric outcomes

Exposure to maternal pre- and postnatal depression (PPND) and anxiety (PPNA) symptoms have been linked to a number of adverse outcomes in children. This research used growth mixture modeling (GMM) to examine individual-level PPND and PPNA symptom patterns in a sample of women and adolescents participating in a longitudinal study of maternal health practices. These trajectory groups were then used as exposure states for offspring in a series of analyses that examined whether symptom trajectory exposure was associated with age of onset of any psychiatric illness, the risk for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), or the risk of Conduct Disorder (CD). Finally, path analysis was used to identify potential mechanisms associated with trajectory exposure and psychiatric illness.The GMM analyses found distinct trajectories of PPND and PPNA symptoms. Two groups of stable PPND symptom patterns were identified: low and high. PPNA exposure had three stable symptom patterns: low, medium, and high. Examination of the co-occurrence of PPND and PPNA found that those in the high PPND trajectory were more likely to be in the medium or high PPNA symptom trajectories, compared to the low PPND individuals. PPND, PPNA, and co-occurring trajectory group exposure were not associated with age of onset of first psychiatric illness or with MDD. The risk of CD onset was not associated with PPND or co-occurring trajectory exposure. However, males exposed to medium and high PPNA trajectories were at an increased risk of CD compared to low PPNA exposed males. Females exposed to medium or high PPNA trajectories were at a decreased risk of CD, compared to their low PPNA counterparts. Results of the path analysis suggested a direct path from PPNA to CD risk, moderated by gender. Furthermore, PPNA exposure predicted higher levels of emotionality, which predicted higher CD risk.CD is responsible for serious morbidity among affected children and places a large burden on society as a result of increased service use and involvement in the juvenile justice system. The public health significance of identifying a strong risk factor for CD in males is that it provides a new potential target for primary prevention

Marijuana Use, Recent Marijuana Initiation, and Progression to Marijuana Use Disorder Among Young Male and Female Adolescents Aged 12-14 Living in US Households

Marijuana initiation during adolescence, and early adolescence in particular, is associated with adverse health consequences. Our study used 2005-2014 data from the annual, cross-sectional National Survey on Drug Use and Health to study the prevalence and correlates of marijuana initiation, use, and marijuana use disorder (MUD; abuse or dependence) among 12- to 14-year olds living in civilian US households (n = 84 954). Examined correlates included age, sex, race/ethnicity, poverty status, metropolitan status, year of survey, depression, tobacco use, alcohol use, and fighting at school. Sex differences in the correlates of lifetime use and past year marijuana initiation were tested via interaction. Lifetime prevalence of marijuana use was 5.5%; 3.2% reported past year initiation. About 1 in 6 (16.8%) past year initiates progressed to MUD within 12 months of first use. Although men had higher prevalence of lifetime use than women, past year initiation did not differ by sex. On examining the sex*race/ethnicity interaction effects, findings determined that non-Hispanic black and Hispanic men had higher prevalence estimates of ever using marijuana and incidence of past year initiation as compared with non-Hispanic white men; these race/ethnicity differences were not found among women. Identifying correlates of initiation and progression to MUD among young adolescents is critical to improve prevention and treatment program targets

Residential Mobility, Transience, Depression, and Marijuana Use Initiation Among Adolescents and Young Adults

Marijuana use initiation is associated with numerous health and behavioral consequences, particularly among young adolescents. Finding easily identifiable risk markers for marijuana initiation is an important step for targeting primary and secondary prevention efforts. This study used data from the 2010-2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health to evaluate the association between residential mobility (no mobility, low mobility, high mobility [ie, transience]), and major depressive episode(s) (MDE) on marijuana initiation among adolescents (12-17) and young adults (18-20). Age-stratified logistic regression models indicated that among 12- to 13-year-old adolescents, mobility in the past 5 years and past year MDE have a multiplicative effect on the odds of past year marijuana initiation. Among adolescents aged 14 to 15 years, both mobility and MDE were independently associated with marijuana initiation, but there was no interaction. Among older adolescents (aged 16-17 years), only transience (⩾3 moves in the past 5 years) was associated with marijuana use initiation, and although MDE was significantly associated with marijuana initiation, there was no interaction with mobility. Among young adults, mobility was not associated with marijuana initiation. Residential mobility among young adolescents is an easily identifiable risk marker that may serve as an indicator for physical and mental health professionals, school personnel, and parents to use in targeting both depression and marijuana prevention efforts

Is the Fagerström test for nicotine dependence invariant across secular trends in smoking? A question for cross-birth cohort analysis of nicotine dependence

Background—The Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND), a derivation of the Fagerström Tolerance Questionnaire, was first published in 1991. The FTND remains one of the most widely used measures of nicotine dependence for studying genetic and epidemiological risk factors and the likelihood of smoking cessation. However, it is unclear whether secular trends in patterns of smoking alter the psychometric properties of the FTND and its interpretation. Methods—We examined measurement invariance in the lifetime and current FTND scores across birth cohorts using participants drawn from six study samples (N=13,775). Results—We found significant (