Overview and aims:
Adverse childhood experiences such as abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction are well-established risk factors for self-harm and depression. Despite their high comorbidity, there has been little focus on the outcome of co-occurring self-harm and depression, and the impact of developmental timing of occurrence, and the duration of exposure to childhood adversities on these outcomes in adolescence.
This study addresses these gaps and aims to investigate: a) the relationship between ten different types of adverse childhood experiences, and b) the developmental timing of their occurrence (early childhood, middle childhood, early adolescence), duration of exposure and their associations with adolescent self-harm and depression. The following ten adverse childhood experiences will be examined: physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, emotional neglect, bullying, domestic violence, household substance use, parental mental health problems, parental criminal conviction, and parental separation.
Sample:
Data from three UK prospective birth cohorts will be used: the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, the Millennium Cohort Study, and the Environmental Risk (E-Risk) Longitudinal Twin Study.
Methods:
Regression models will examine the relationship between each type of adverse childhood experience and a four-category outcome: neither self-harm or depression, self-harm alone, depression alone, both self-harm and depression. To examine the relationship between timing and duration of exposure to adverse childhood experiences and self-harm and depression, a structured life course modelling approach (SLCMA) will be used. The SLCMA tests a set of hypotheses that are proposed a priori, identifying the best-fitting hypotheses supported by the data. The accumulation and critical period hypotheses were selected a priori, and attempted to examine the role of accumulation of risk, and developmental timing of adverse childhood experiences in the risk for self-harm, depression, and co-occurring self-harm and depression.
Project team:
- University of Bristol, UK: Dr Becky Mars (Primary supervisor); Prof Laura Howe; Dr Annie Herbert
- University of Exeter, UK: Dr Abby Russell
- University of the West of England, UK: Dr Andrew Smith
- Kings College London, UK: Prof Helen Fisher; Prof Louise Arseneault; Prof Andrea Danese
- University College London, UK: Dr Jessie Baldwin
Funders/Supporters
This PhD is funded by the GW4 BioMed MRC.
Publications and other outputs:
This study does not currently have any related publications or outputs.
Contact for further details: bushra.farooq@bristol.ac.uk