Little in Norway: a prospective longitudinal community-based cohort from pregnancy to child age 18 months
Vibeke Moe1,2, Eivor Fredriksen3,2, Marian Kjellevold4
1Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway vibeke.moe@psykologi.uio.no.
Insights
Parental adverse childhood experiences and maternal iodine deficiency impact child development. The Little in Norway (LiN) study tracked 1036 families, revealing links between parental mental health, child outcomes, and nutrition.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Maternal and Child Health
- Longitudinal Cohort Studies
Background:
- The transition to parenthood presents unique challenges for maternal and paternal mental health.
- Understanding factors influencing child development is crucial for early intervention and support.
- Longitudinal studies provide valuable insights into developmental trajectories and risk factors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate maternal and paternal mental health during the transition to parenthood.
- To identify pathways to healthy and aberrant child development.
- To explore mechanisms underlying differential child mental health susceptibility.
Main Methods:
- Prospective longitudinal cohort study (Little in Norway - LiN project) with 1036 families.
- Data collection across 10 waves from pregnancy to 18 months, including questionnaires, observations, tests, and biological samples.
- Analysis of parental mental health, adverse childhood experiences, attachment, child temperament, nutrition, and developmental outcomes.
Main Results:
- Parental adverse childhood experiences and attachment style linked to perinatal anxiety, depression, and stress.
- Maternal and paternal mental health symptoms associated with child social-emotional and language development.
- Maternal iodine deficiency during pregnancy correlated with poorer child language skills up to 18 months.
Conclusions:
- Parental mental health and early life experiences significantly influence child development.
- Maternal nutrition, specifically iodine status, plays a role in early language acquisition.
- The LiN study provides critical data for understanding child mental health susceptibility and informing interventions.
Purpose:
The Little in Norway (LiN) project is a cross-disciplinary prospective longitudinal study starting in pregnancy. It was set up to investigate maternal and paternal mental health functioning in the transition to parenthood, detect pathways to healthy and aberrant child development and generate new knowledge about mechanisms underlying differential child mental health susceptibility.
Participants:
The LiN cohort is a community-based sample comprising 1036 families (1036 mothers, 884 partners, 1017 children). All pregnant women and their partners receiving routine prenatal care at well-baby clinics at nine geographically selected sites across Norway were invited to participate. Enrolment took place from September 2011 to October 2012. This cohort profile comprises 10 data collection waves spanning from enrolment in pregnancy until child age 18 months.
Findings To Date:
Four types of information have been collected: multi-informant questionnaire reports, direct observation of interaction, test data and biological samples. The most significant findings so far relate to three domains of results. First, when examining risk factors for parental mental health problems, results showed that the parents' own adverse childhood experiences and attachment style were related to anxiety, depression and stress in the perinatal period. The perception of difficult child temperament was also found to contribute to parenting stress in the first year after birth. Second, we studied how parental mental health risk factors were related to later child development and social emotional functioning, for example, linking maternal symptoms to social-emotional outcomes and paternal symptoms to language outcomes. Third, we investigated the relation between maternal nutrition during pregnancy and aspects of early child development. Results showed that mild to moderate maternal iodine deficiency in pregnancy was associated with poorer language skills up to 18 months, but not with reduced cognitive or fine and gross motor skills.
Future Plans:
A data collection point at 36 months is completed and currently being analysed. A new data collection wave is planned when the children are 8 years of age.
Trial Registration Number:
ISRCTN66710572.
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