Limited evidence that early life growth predicts well-being in adolescence

There is a well-established link between growth and future health, but it is uncertain whether early life growth and well-being in adolescence are associated. We hypothesized that individuals with slower growth during infancy or childhood had a lower degree of well-being at age 18 years.

This population-based study examined early life growth in relation to adolescent well-being in the GrowUp_1974&1990Gothenburg cohorts (n = 4319). Individual growth trajectories were modeled using the Quadratic-Exponential-Pubertal-Stop (QEPS) model, based on longitudinal height data. Well-being was assessed using the Gothenburg Well-being in Adolescence scale.

Associations between early life growth (birth size, height at ages 2, 4, and 7 years, and growth change) and adolescent well-being were uniformly small (β ranging from -0.2 to 0.2), with narrow confidence intervals and low explained variance (R² ≤ 1%). However, in the 1974 cohort, males born large for gestational age reported higher total well-being than peers born appropriate or small for gestational age, while females born large for gestational age by weight reported lower mood and self-esteem.

Differences in self-reported well-being at age 18 years associated with early-life growth were small and probably of minimal clinical importance, providing relevant information for healthcare professionals and parents.

This population-based study, with longitudinal growth data from over 4,000 Swedish adolescents, born in 1974 and 1990, showed that early life growth is of limited importance for self-reported well-being at age 18. There is a well-established link between growth and future health, but our results suggest that early deviations in physical growth are unlikely to have substantial implications for adolescent well-being in relatively healthy populations. The study's findings may offer reassurance to clinicians and parents concerned about the long-term psychological consequences of early growth variations.