The Protective Effect of Neighbourhood Collective Efficacy On Family Violence and Youth Antisocial Behaviour in Two South Korean Prospective Longitudinal Cohorts

Neighbourhood collective efficacy has been proposed as a protective factor against family violence and youth antisocial behaviour. However, little is known about its impact on parent and child behaviour in non-Western countries. Using data from two population-based prospective cohorts from South Korea, including primary school students aged 10–12 years (N = 2844) and secondary school students aged 15–17 years (N = 3449), we examined the interplay between collective efficacy, family violence, and youth antisocial behaviour, and whether effects vary by SES. In a first series of models, in both samples, higher levels of collective efficacy were associated with lower levels of family violence, whereas higher levels of family violence were associated with higher levels of youth antisocial behaviour. There was no direct effect of collective efficacy on youth antisocial behaviour; however, there was an indirect effect via family violence. Although these effects were more pronounced in low SES children, there was no evidence of moderation by SES. In a second series of models, in primary school students, collective efficacy was not associated with youth antisocial behaviour. However, there was a direct effect of collective efficacy on family violence, even after adjusting for youth antisocial behaviour. Again, there was no evidence of moderation by SES. In secondary school students, the pattern of results was less consistent, however, again, suggesting more pronounced effects of collective efficacy in low SES children. The findings suggest that collective efficacy may influence family violence more directly, whereas youth antisocial behaviour may be affected more indirectly through the family environment. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10802-021-00869-y

How does childhood maltreatment influence cardiovascular disease?:A sequential causal mediation analysis

BACKGROUND: Childhood maltreatment has been consistently associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, the mechanisms of this relationship are not yet fully understood. We explored the relative contribution of anxiety/depression, smoking, body mass index (BMI) and inflammation (C-reactive protein, CRP) to the association between childhood maltreatment and CVD in men and women aged 40–69 years in the UK. METHODS: We used data from 40 596 men and 59 511 women from UK Biobank. To estimate the indirect effects of childhood maltreatment (physical, sexual and emotional abuse, and emotional and physical neglect) on incident CVD via each of the mediators, we applied a sequential mediation approach. RESULTS: All forms of maltreatment were associated with increased CVD risk [hazard ratios (HRs) ranging from 1.09 to 1.27]. Together, anxiety/depression, smoking, BMI and inflammation (indexed by CRP) mediated 26–90% of the association between childhood maltreatment and CVD, and the contribution of these mediators differed by type of maltreatment and sex. Anxiety/depression mediated the largest proportion of the association of sexual abuse, emotional abuse and emotional neglect with CVD (accounting for 16–43% of the total effect), especially in women. In men, BMI contributed the most to the indirect effect of associations of physical abuse and physical neglect with CVD; in women, anxiety/depression and BMI had similar contributions. CONCLUSIONS: These findings add to the understanding of how childhood maltreatment affects CVD risk and identify modifiable mediating factors that could potentially reduce the burden of CVD in people exposed to maltreatment in early life

Harsh parenting and child conduct and emotional problems:parent- and child-effects in the 2004 Pelotas Birth Cohort

In high-income countries, links between harsh and abusive parenting and child conduct and emotional problems are well-documented. However, less is known about these relationships in low- and middle-income countries, where harsh parenting may be more widely accepted and higher rates of conduct or emotional problems may exist which could influence the strength of these associations. We sought to investigate these relationships in a large population-based, prospective longitudinal study from Brazil, which also allowed us to test for sex differences. Using data from the 2004 Pelotas Birth Cohort Study (N = 4231) at ages 6 and 11 years, we applied cross-lagged path analysis to examine the relationships between harsh parenting (Conflict Tactics Scale Parent–Child version), and child conduct and emotional problems (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire). We found reciprocal relationships between harsh parenting and child conduct problems, with harsh parenting at age 6 predicting child conduct problems at age 11, and vice versa, even after adjusting for initial levels of conduct problems and harsh parenting, respectively. For child emotional problems, only unidirectional effects were found, with harsh parenting at age 6 predicting child emotional problems at age 11, after adjusting for initial levels of emotional problems, but not vice versa. No significant sex differences were observed in these relationships. These observations based on a middle-income country birth cohort highlight the potential universality of detrimental effects of harsh parenting on child conduct and emotional problems and affirm the importance of addressing parent- and child-effects in preventive and treatment interventions, especially those targeting conduct problems. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00787-021-01759-w

Spliceosome malfunction causes neurodevelopmental disorders with overlapping features

Pre-mRNA splicing is a highly coordinated process. While its dysregulation has been linked to neurological deficits, our understanding of the underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms remains limited. We implicated pathogenic variants in U2AF2 and PRPF19, encoding spliceosome subunits in neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), by identifying 46 unrelated individuals with 23 de novo U2AF2 missense variants (including 7 recurrent variants in 30 individuals) and 6 individuals with de novo PRPF19 variants. Eight U2AF2 variants dysregulated splicing of a model substrate. Neuritogenesis was reduced in human neurons differentiated from human pluripotent stem cells carrying two U2AF2 hyper-recurrent variants. Neural loss of function (LoF) of the Drosophila orthologs U2af50 and Prp19 led to lethality, abnormal mushroom body (MB) patterning, and social deficits, which were differentially rescued by wild-type and mutant U2AF2 or PRPF19. Transcriptome profiling revealed splicing substrates or effectors (including Rbfox1, a third splicing factor), which rescued MB defects in U2af50deficient flies. Upon reanalysis of negative clinical exomes followed by data sharing, we further identified 6 patients with NDD who carried RBFOX1 missense variants which, by in vitro testing, showed LoF. Our study implicates 3 splicing factors as NDD-causative genes and establishes a genetic network with hierarchy underlying human brain development and function

Is Intensive Cognitive Behavioural Therapy an Efficacious and Acceptable Treatment Format for Adults with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder? A Systematic Review of Randomised Controlled Trials

Background: Clinical guidelines recommend the use of an intensive version of cognitive behavioural therapy (iCBT) in obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) when evidence-based treatment has previously failed. This systematic review aimed to 1) assess the efficacy of iCBT for adults with OCD; 2) assess the acceptability of iCBT for adults with OCD. Methods: PROSPERO ID: CRD42018106840. We searched the Cochrane Controlled Register of Trials (CENTRAL), Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase and PsycINFO for articles published between 1966 and November 2018, and reference lists and other sources for registered or ongoing studies. We included Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs) of adults with OCD comparing iCBT to active or non-active controls. iCBT was defined as: at least five hours of CBT delivered per week in no more than four weeks for at least 10 CBT hours. The primary outcome was change in OCD symptoms from baseline to follow-up; secondary outcome was attrition; risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Tool. Results: Searches retrieved 5125 records, with only four RCTs with a total of 313 participants meeting inclusion criteria. Large effect sizes in favour of iCBT relative to controls were found, range (1.35 to 3.18). Drop-out rate across studies was low. However, none of the included studies focused on participants with a specific history of treatment failure. Studies were highly heterogeneous, which precluded meta-analysis. Conclusions: There was evidence that iCBT may be efficacious and acceptable. Further high quality RCTs are required to assess the efficacy and acceptability of iCBT specifically for OCD non-responders

Assessing for manic episodes using the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI):Considerations from the 2004 Pelotas Birth Cohort Study

The Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) is a widely used structured diagnostic interview that assesses common mental health disorders in the DSM-5 and ICD-10. Using data from the 2004 Pelotas Birth Cohort Study, we highlight that the criteria for manic episodes in the MINI is not coded according to DSM-5 or ICD-10 criteria. The implications of this are discusse