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Linking Oppositional Behaviour Trajectories to the Development of Depressive Symptoms in Childhood

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Abstract

Oppositional defiant disorder in childhood is a predictor of later mood disorders. This study assessed whether groups of children can be identified by their course of co-occurring oppositional and depressive symptoms in childhood using group based trajectory modeling. Participants were a cohort of 932 4 or 5 year old offspring of women participating in the National Longitudinal Study of Youth whose symptom trajectories were modeled across ages 4–13 years. Three co-occurring trajectory groups were found: oppositional symptoms only (23%), oppositional symptoms preceding increasing depressive symptoms over time (16%) and absence of any symptoms (61%). Of all children who developed depressive symptoms, all had moderate or high levels of pre-existing oppositional symptoms. Oppositional symptoms typically precede, or co-occur with depressive symptoms in childhood.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by a graduate fellowship from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (KB) and a research training award from the Canadian Child Health Clinician Scientist Program (KB).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, 1200 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, L8N 3Z5, Canada

    Khrista Boylan & Peter Szatmari

  2. Offord Centre for Child Studies, Hamilton, ON, Canada

    Tracy Vaillancourt & Peter Szatmari

  3. University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada

    Tracy Vaillancourt

Authors
  1. Khrista Boylan
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  2. Tracy Vaillancourt
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  3. Peter Szatmari
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Correspondence to Khrista Boylan.

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Boylan, K., Vaillancourt, T. & Szatmari, P. Linking Oppositional Behaviour Trajectories to the Development of Depressive Symptoms in Childhood. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 43, 484–497 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-011-0277-7

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