Dataset Information

Sex differences in the associations between vagal reactivity and oppositional defiant disorder symptoms.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Vagal reactivity to stress in children has been associated with future psychiatric outcomes. However, results have been mixed possibly because these effects are in opposite direction in boys and girls. These sex differences are relevant in the context of development of psychopathology, whereby the rates of psychiatric disorders differ by sex. In this study, we aimed to examine the association between vagal reactivity, assessed as a reduction in respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) in response to a challenge, and the development of future oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) symptoms in boys and girls. In addition, we examine the specific associations with ODD symptom dimensions, named irritability and headstrong. We hypothesized that increased vagal reactivity was associated with increased ODD symptoms in girls and a reduction in ODD symptoms in boys.

Methods

Participants were members of the Wirral Child Health and Development Study, a prospective epidemiological longitudinal study of 1,233 first-time mothers recruited at 20 weeks' gestation. RSA during four nonstressful and one stressful (still-face) procedures was assessed when children were aged 29 weeks in a sample stratified by adversity (n = 270). Maternal reports of ODD symptoms were collected when children were 2.5 years old (n = 253), 3.5 years old (n = 826), and 5 years old (n = 770). Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to test our hypotheses.

Results

There was a significant sex difference in the prediction of ODD symptoms due to the opposite directionality in which increasing vagal reactivity was associated with an increase in ODD symptoms in girls and a reduction of ODD symptoms in boys. This Sex by Vagal reactivity interaction was common for both ODD dimensions, with no sex by dimension-specific associations.

Conclusions

Physiological reactivity to a stressful situation predicts differently ODD symptoms in boys and girls very early in life, with no difference across irritability and headstrong components. Findings are discussed in the context of the several mechanisms involved on the later development of distinct psychiatric disorders in boys and girls.

SUBMITTER: Vidal-Ribas P

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5575540 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Sex differences in the associations between vagal reactivity and oppositional defiant disorder symptoms.

Vidal-Ribas Pablo P Pickles Andrew A Tibu Florin F Sharp Helen H Hill Jonathan J

Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines 20170602 9

<h4>Background</h4>Vagal reactivity to stress in children has been associated with future psychiatric outcomes. However, results have been mixed possibly because these effects are in opposite direction in boys and girls. These sex differences are relevant in the context of development of psychopathology, whereby the rates of psychiatric disorders differ by sex. In this study, we aimed to examine the association between vagal reactivity, assessed as a reduction in respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RS ...[more]

PMID: 28573761

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Project description:ImportanceAn association between perinatal maternal depression and risk of oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) in offspring has not been established. Identifying early determinants of ODD can help inform preventative intervention efforts.ObjectiveTo investigate the association between maternal perinatal depressive symptoms and the risk of ODD in offspring aged 7 to 15 years.Design, setting, and participantsThis population-based longitudinal birth cohort study used data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), in Bristol, UK. All pregnant women residents in Avon, UK, with expected delivery dates from April 1, 1991, to December 31, 1992, were invited to participate in the study. The study cohort ranged from approximately 8000 (at 7 years of age) to 4000 (at 15 years of age) mother-offspring pairs. Data were analyzed from November 2020 to July 2021.Main outcomes and measuresMaternal depressive symptoms were measured using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) antenatally at 18 and 32 weeks of gestation and postnatally at 8 weeks and 8 months. This study primarily used a cutoff score of 12 or more on the EPDS to identify mothers with symptoms of depression, and the continuous EPDS scores were used to confirm the results of the main analyses. Offspring ODD at 7, 10, 13, and 15 years of age were diagnosed using the parent-reported Development and Well-Being Assessment.ResultsOf 7994 mother-offspring pairs for whom data were available on offspring ODD at 7 years, 4102 offspring (51.3%) were boys. The mean (SD) age of mothers was 28.6 (4.6) years. Maternal antenatal depressive symptoms (measured at 32 weeks of gestation) were associated with offspring ODD (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 1.75; 95% CI, 1.33-2.31). Offspring of mothers with postpartum depressive symptoms at 8 weeks and 8 months were more than 2 times more likely to have a diagnosis of ODD over time (AOR at 8 weeks, 2.24 [95% CI, 1.74-2.90]; AOR at 8 months, 2.04 [95% CI, 1.55-2.68]), and maternal persistent depressive symptoms were associated with a 4-fold increased risk of offspring ODD (AOR, 3.59; 95% CI, 1.98-6.52).Conclusions and relevanceThese findings suggest that perinatal depressive symptoms are associated with ODD in offspring and further support the need for early identification and management of prenatal and postnatal depression in women of childbearing age.

Dataset Information

Sex differences in the associations between vagal reactivity and oppositional defiant disorder symptoms.

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Sex differences in the associations between vagal reactivity and oppositional defiant disorder symptoms.

Similar Datasets

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