000 02853 am a22002413u 4500
042 _adc
100 1 0 _aBroughton, Thomas
_eauthor
_91752
700 1 0 _aLangley, Kate
_eauthor
_91753
700 1 0 _aTilling, Kate
_eauthor
_91754
700 1 0 _aCollishaw, Stephan
_eauthor
_91755
245 0 0 _aRelative age in the school year and risk of mental health problems in childhood, adolescence and young adulthood
260 _bJohn Wiley and Sons Inc.,
_c2022-08-15.
500 _a/pmc/articles/PMC7613948/
500 _a/pubmed/35971653
520 _aPURPOSE: Relative age within the school year ('relative age') is associated with increased rates of symptoms and diagnoses of mental health disorders, including ADHD. We aimed to investigate how relative age influences mental health and behaviour before, during and after school (age range: 4-25 years). METHOD: We used a regression discontinuity design to examine the effect of relative age on risk of mental health problems using data from a large UK population‐based cohort (Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC); N = 14,643). We compared risk of mental health problems between ages 4 and 25 years using the parent‐rated Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), and depression using self‐rated and parent‐rated Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (SMFQ) by relative age. RESULTS: The youngest children in the school year have greater parent‐rated risk of mental health problems, measured using parent‐rated SDQ total difficulties scores. We found no evidence of differences before school entry [estimated standardised mean difference (SMD) between those born on 31 August and 1 September: .02 (−.05, .08)]. We found that estimates of effect size for a 1‐year difference in relative age were greatest at 11 years [SMD: .22 (.15, .29)], but attenuated to the null at 25 years [SMD: −.02 (−.11, .07)]. We did not find consistent evidence of differences in self‐rated and parent‐rated depression by relative age. CONCLUSIONS: Younger relative age is associated with poorer parent‐rated general mental health, but not symptoms of depression.
540 _a© 2022 The Authors. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.
540 _ahttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/This is an open access article under the terms of the http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
546 _aen
690 _aOriginal Articles
655 7 _aText
_2local
786 0 _nJ Child Psychol Psychiatry
856 4 1 _uhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13684
_zConnect to this object online.
999 _c1878
_d1878