Do adversities experienced over the early life course predict mental illness and substance use behaviour in adulthood: A birth cohort study

Abstract

A range of adult health outcomes have been linked to early childhood adversities. These early adversities include parental marital breakdown and family economic disadvantage. Childhood experiences of maltreatment have also been linked to a variety of adult health outcomes. As both childhood adversities and child maltreatment often co-occur, we examine whether childhood adversities at 3 stages of the child's early life course predict any of nine adult mental health outcomes controlling for past experiences of child trauma (maltreatment). Data are from a long running birth cohort study, the Mater-University of Queensland Study of Pregnancy (MUSP). We use bivariate and multinomial logistic regression with adjustment for confounding, to predict adult outcomes. Experiences of recent life events in pregnancy appear to be unrelated to adult mental health. Recent life events experienced at the 5-year follow-up independently predicts lifetime ever depression and cannabis use disorder. Experiences of recent life events at 14-years of age predict lifetime ever depression, cannabis and amphetamine use in adulthood. Our findings support early childhood interventions which should be supplemented with a focus on later childhood and the adolescent period of development. Interventions should also focus on the broader social and demographic context within which children are born. Efforts to reduce the occurrence and consequences of childhood maltreatment should be given primary attention in order to reduce the childhood factors contributing to adult mental illness.