Trajectories of Neighborhood Cohesion in Childhood, and Psychotic and Depressive Symptoms at Age 13 and 18 Years

• Published in: Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Vol. 56; no. 7; pp. 570 - 577
• Main Authors: Solmi, Francesca, PhD, Colman, Ian, PhD, Weeks, Murray, PhD, Lewis, Glyn, PhD, Kirkbride, James B., PhD
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.07.2017; Elsevier BV; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescents; Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC); Child; Child & adolescent psychiatry; Childhood; Children; Children & youth; cohort study; Cross-sectional studies; Depression - epidemiology; Depression - etiology; depressive symptoms; Deprivation; Female; Humans; Late Adolescents; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Mental depression; neighborhood social cohesion; Neighborhoods; New Research; Pediatrics; Psychiatry; Psychopathology; Psychosis; Psychosocial Deprivation; Psychotic Disorders - epidemiology; Psychotic Disorders - etiology; psychotic experiences; Psychotic symptoms; Residence Characteristics - statistics & numerical data; Social cohesion; Social Environment; Sociodemographics; Socioeconomic factors; Stress; Teenagers; United Kingdom - epidemiology; neighborhood social cohesion; psychotic experiences; Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC); cohort study; depressive symptoms
• ISSN: 0890-8567; 1527-5418
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2017.04.003

Objective Exposure to adverse social environments has been associated with psychotic and depressive symptoms in adolescence in cross-sectional studies, but the longitudinal relation is unclear. This study examined whether longitudinal trajectories of exposure to adverse social environments across childhood are associated with psychotic experiences and depressive symptoms in adolescence. Method Data on participants from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) were used to estimate longitudinal trajectories of childhood exposure to neighborhood cohesion (NC), discord (ND), and stress (NS) using latent class growth modeling. Logistic regression was used to examine the association between these trajectories and psychotic experiences and depressive symptoms at 13 and 18 years of age, adjusting for maternal psychopathology, participant sociodemographic and socioeconomic characteristics, and area-level deprivation. Results A dose-response association was observed between higher NS and the odds of psychotic experiences at 13 years (medium NS, adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.25, 95% CI 1.05–1.49; high NS, aOR 1.77, 95% CI 1.30–2.40), whereas high levels of ND predicted psychotic experiences at 18 years (aOR 1.50, 95% CI 1.10–2.07). High levels of NC (aOR 1.43, 95% CI 1.02–1.71) and NS (aOR 1.55, 95% CI 1.07–2.26) were associated with increased odds of high depressive symptoms at 18 years in a dose-response fashion. Conclusion Prolonged and more severe exposure to adverse social environments is associated with greater odds of developing psychotic and depressive symptoms in late adolescence.