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Conditions of Birth and Early Childhood Developmental Risk for Mental Disorders

Felicity Harris1, Kimberlie Dean1,2, Oliver J Watkeys1,3

  • 1Discipline of Psychiatry and Mental Health, School of Clinical Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.

Child Psychiatry and Human Development
|June 3, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Identifying early childhood risk factors at birth can help detect children needing timely intervention. This study links birth-known factors to developmental vulnerability classes, enabling early support for better long-term outcomes.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Public Health
  • Child Psychiatry

Background:

  • Early childhood developmental vulnerability is linked to later mental illness and adverse outcomes.
  • Identifying at-risk children early allows for timely preventative interventions.
  • Risk factors identifiable at birth could facilitate early detection and support.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine associations between 14 birth-known factors and early childhood risk class membership.
  • To determine if birth factors can reliably predict children who will benefit from early intervention.
  • To inform preventative strategies within the first 2000 days of life.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of associations between 14 birth-known factors and risk class membership.
  • Study conducted on a large cohort of 66,464 children.
  • Examination of distinct patterns of association for specific risk factors and outcomes.

Main Results:

  • Risk class membership was associated with maternal mental illness, parental criminal charges, and being male.
  • Prenatal child protection notification showed a unique association with misconduct risk.
  • Specific birth factors demonstrated distinct patterns of association with different risk classes.

Conclusions:

  • Risk factors known at birth can aid in the very early detection of children requiring intervention.
  • Early identification facilitates targeted support within the critical first 2000 days.
  • Findings support the development of proactive, evidence-based early intervention programs.

Keywords:
Child developmentData linkageDevelopmental psychopathologyFamilial risk factorsPerinatal risk factors

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