BACKGROUND: Childhood adversity is a
well-established risk factor for psychopathology; however, many who
experience adversity do not go on to develop psychopathology. Poor
self-concept and poor parental support are known risk factors for
adolescent psychopathology, which may account for some of this
mechanism.AIMS: To investigate candidate mediators in the relationship between childhood adversity and psychopathology.METHOD: We
used data from the age 9 and 13 waves of the child-cohort of the
Growing Up in Ireland study. We undertook mediation analysis by path
decomposition of the relationship between childhood adversity and
psychopathology (internalising and externalising problems) at age 13 and
persistent psychopathology. Candidate mediators were self-concept,
parent-child relationship and hobby participation at age 9.RESULTS: Childhood
adversity was reported by 28.2% of participants, and was significantly
associated with internalising and externalising problems. Parent-child
conflict mediated the relationship between childhood adversity and both
age 13 and persistent psychopathology, accounting for 52.4% of the
relationship between childhood adversity and persistent externalising
problems (indirect odds ratio, 1.30; 95% CI 1.19-1.43) and 19.2% for
persistent internalising problems (indirect odds ratio, 1.24; 95% CI
1.15-1.34). There was a small mediating effect of self-concept. Hobby
participation and positive parent-child relationship did not mediate
these relationships.CONCLUSIONS: Parent-child conflict
explains almost half the relationship between childhood adversity and
persisting externalising problems in adolescence, and a fifth of the
relationship with persisting internalising problems. This suggests
parent-child conflict is a good target for interventions in childhood to
prevent adolescent psychopathology.DECLARATION OF INTEREST: None.</div