Associations of crying, sleeping, and feeding problems in early childhood and perceived social support with emotional disorders in adulthood

Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskriftTidsskriftartikelForskningfagfællebedømt

  • Jäkel, Julia
  • Kati Heinonen
  • Nicole Baumann
  • Ayten Bilgin
  • Riikka Pyhälä
  • Christian Sorg
  • Katri Räikkönen
  • Dieter Wolke

Background: Multiple or persistent crying, sleeping, or feeding problems in early childhood (regulatory problems) are associated with increased internalizing symptoms in adulthood. Unknown is whether early regulatory problems are associated with emotional disorders in adulthood, and what psychosocial factors may provide protection. We tested whether early childhood multiple or persistent regulatory problems are associated with a higher risk of (a) any mood and anxiety disorder in adulthood; (b) perceiving no social support in adulthood; and (c) whether social support provides protection from mood and anxiety disorders among participants who had multiple/persistent regulatory problems and those who never had regulatory problems. Methods: Data from two prospective longitudinal studies in Germany (n = 297) and Finland (n = 342) was included (N = 639). Regulatory problems were assessed at 5, 20, and 56 months with the same standardized parental interviews and neurological examinations. In adulthood (24–30 years), emotional disorders were assessed with diagnostic interviews and social support with questionnaires. Results: Children with multiple/persistent regulatory problems (n = 132) had a higher risk of any mood disorder (odds ratio (OR) = 1.81 [95% confidence interval = 1.01–3.23]) and of not having any social support from peers and friends (OR = 1.67 [1.07–2.58]) in adulthood than children who never had regulatory problems. Social support from peers and friends provided protection from mood disorders, but only among adults who never had regulatory problems (OR = 4.03 [2.16–7.94]; p =.039 for regulatory problems x social support interaction). Conclusions: Children with multiple/persistent regulatory problems are at increased risk of mood disorders in young adulthood. Social support from peers and friends may, however, only provide protection from mood disorders in individuals who never had regulatory problems.

OriginalsprogEngelsk
Artikelnummer394
TidsskriftBMC Psychiatry
Vol/bind23
Udgave nummer1
ISSN1471-244X
DOI
StatusUdgivet - 2 jun. 2023
Eksternt udgivetJa

Bibliografisk note

Funding Information:
This study was supported by grants PKE24, JUG14, 01EP9504 and 01ER0801 from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Science (BMBF), by grant DFG SCHM 3045/2 − 1 from the German Research Foundation (DFG), and by Academy of Finland programme grants. DW is supported by a UKRI Frontier Research Grant EP/X023206/1 (ERC-AdG reviewed). JJ is supported by the Signe and Ane Gyllenberg Foundation (Application nr. 5618).

Funding Information:
Open Access funding support was provided by the Biodiverse Anthropocenes program (University of Oulu, Academy of Finland Profi6 336449), the VISE Research Unit, and University of Oulu including Oulu University Hospital.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023, The Author(s).

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