Hostname: page-component-7479d7b7d-8zxtt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-10T21:00:49.278Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Childhood atopy and mental health: a prospective, longitudinal investigation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 October 2016

R. D. Goodwin ,
M. Robinson ,
P. D. Sly  and
P. G. Holt
R. D. Goodwin*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Queens College and The Graduate Center, City University of New York (CUNY), Queens, NY, USA Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
M. Robinson
Affiliation:
Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, West Perth, WA, Australia
P. D. Sly
Affiliation:
Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, West Perth, WA, Australia Queensland Children's Medical Research Institute, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, Australia
P. G. Holt
Affiliation:
Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, West Perth, WA, Australia
*
*Address for correspondence: R. D. Goodwin, PhD, MPH, Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 West 168th Street, Rm 514, New York, NY 10032, USA. (Email: rdg66@columbia.edu)
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Background

Prior studies have suggested a relationship between atopy and mental health, although methodological barriers have limited the generalizability of these findings. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between early-life atopy and vulnerability to mental health problems among youth in the community.

Method

Data were drawn from the Raine Study (N = 2868), a population-based birth cohort study in Western Australia. Logistic regression and generalized estimating equations were used to examine the relationship between atopy at ages 1–5 years [using parent report and objective biological confirmation (sera IgE)], and the range of internalizing and externalizing mental health problems at ages 5–17 years.

Results

Atopy appears to be associated with increased vulnerability to affective and anxiety problems, compared to youth without atopy. These associations remained significant after adjusting for a range of potential confounders. No relationship was evident between atopy and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or externalizing problems.

Conclusions

Findings are the first linking atopy (measured by both parent report and objective verification) with increased vulnerability to affective and anxiety problems. Therefore, replication is required. If replicated, future research aimed at understanding the possible biological and/or social and environmental pathways underlying these links is needed. Such information could shed light on shared pathways that could lead to more effective treatments for both atopy and internalizing mental health problems.

Keywords

Atopyallergyanxietycohort studymental healthWestern Australia
Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 47 , Issue 2 , January 2017 , pp. 317 - 325
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Achenbach, TM (1991). Integrative Guide for the 1991 CBCL/4-18, YSR, and TRF Profiles. Department of Psychiatry, University of Vermont.Google Scholar
Achenbach, TM, Rescorla, L (2001). ASEBA School-Age Forms & Profiles. Aseba, Burlington, VT.Google Scholar
APA (2000). Treatment Works: Major Depressive Disorder: a Patient and Family Guide. American Psychiatric Publishing, Washington, DC, USA.Google Scholar
Basso, AS, Pinto, FA, Russo, M, Britto, LR, de Sa-Rocha, LC, Palermo Neto, J (2003). Neural correlates of IgE-mediated food allergy. Journal of Neuroimmunology 140, 69–77.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bell, IR, Jasnoski, ML, Kagan, J, King, DS (1990). Is allergic rhinitis more frequent in young adults with extreme shyness? A preliminary survey. Psychosomatic Medicine 52, 517–525.Google Scholar
Bell, IR, Jasnoski, ML, Kagan, J, King, DS (1991). Depression and allergies: survey of nonclinical population. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics 55, 24–31.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brundin, L, Erhardt, S, Bryleva, E, Achtyes, E, Postolache, T (2015). The role of inflammation in suicidal behaviour. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica 132, 192–203.Google Scholar
Byles, J, Byrne, C, Boyle, MH, Offord, DR (1988). Ontario Child Health Study: reliability and validity of the general functioning subscale of the McMaster Family Assessment Device. Family Process 27, 97–104.Google Scholar
Carey, WB, McDevitt, SC (1978). Revision of the infant temperament questionnaire. Pediatrics 61, 735–739.Google Scholar
Carmichael, SL, Shaw, GM, Yang, W, Abrams, B, Lammer, EJ (2007). Maternal stressful life events and risks of birth defects. Epidemiology 18, 356–361.Google Scholar
Centanni, S, Di Marco, F, Castagna, F, Boveri, B, Casanova, F, Piazzini, A (2000). Psychological issues in the treatment of asthmatic patients. Respiratory Medicine 94, 742–749.Google Scholar
Chang, HY, Seo, JH, Kim, HY, Kwon, JW, Kim, BJ, Kim, HB, Lee, SY, Jang, GC, Song, DJ, Kim, WK, Shim, JY, Kim, HJ, Park, JW, Cho, SH, Lee, JS, Shin, YJ, Hong, SJ (2013). Allergic diseases in preschoolers are associated with psychological and behavioural problems. Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Research 5, 315–321.Google Scholar
Chen, M-H, Su, T-P, Chen, Y-S, Hsu, J-W, Huang, K-L, Chang, W-H, Chen, T-J, Bai, Y-M (2014). Higher risk of mood disorders among adolescents with ADHD and asthma: a nationwide prospective study. Journal of Affective Disorders 156, 232–235.Google Scholar
Crawford, AA, Galobardes, B, Jeffreys, M, Smith, GD, Gunnell, D (2015). Risk of suicide for individuals reporting asthma and atopy in young adulthood: findings from the Glasgow Alumni study. Psychiatry Research 225, 364–367.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cuffel, B, Wamboldt, M, Borish, L, Kennedy, S, Crystal-Peters, J (1999). Economic consequences of comorbid depression, anxiety, and allergic rhinitis. Psychosomatics 40, 491–496.Google Scholar
Dyer, AA, Gupta, R (2013). Epidemiology of childhood food allergy. Pediatric Annals 42, 91–95.Google Scholar
Epstein, NB, Baldwin, LM, Bishop, DS (1983). The McMaster family assessment device. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy 9, 171–180.Google Scholar
Flokstra-de Blok, BM, Dubois, AE, Vlieg-Boerstra, BJ, Oude Elberink, J, Raat, H, DunnGalvin, A, Hourihane, JB, Duiverman, EJ (2010). Health-related quality of life of food allergic patients: comparison with the general population and other diseases. Allergy 65, 238–244.Google Scholar
Genuneit, J, Braig, S, Brandt, S, Wabitsch, M, Florath, I, Brenner, H, Rothenbacher, D (2014). Infant atopic eczema and subsequent attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder – a prospective birth cohort study. Pediatric Allergy and Immunology 25, 51–56.Google Scholar
Goethe, J, Maljanian, R, Wolf, S, Hernadez, O, Cabrera, Y (2001). The impact of depressive symptoms on the functional status of inner-city patients with asthma. Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology 87, 205–210.Google Scholar
Goodwin, RD (2002). Self-reported hay fever and panic attacks in the community. Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology 88, 556–559.Google Scholar
Goodwin, RD, Castro, M, Kovacs, M (2006). Major depression and allergy: does neuroticism explain the relationship? Psychosomatic Medicine 68, 94–98.Google Scholar
Goodwin, RD, Wickramaratne, P, Nomura, Y, Weissman, MM (2007). Familial depression and respiratory illness in children. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine 161, 487–494.Google Scholar
Gregory, AM, Caspi, A, Moffitt, TE, Milne, BJ, Poulton, R, Sears, MR (2009). Links between anxiety and allergies: psychobiological reality or possible methodological bias? Journal of Personality 77, 347–362.Google Scholar
Hashiro, M, Okumura, M (1998). The relationship between the psychological and immunological state in patients with atopic dermatitis. Journal of Dermatological Science 16, 231–235.Google Scholar
Howe, L, Franxman, T, Teich, E, Greenhawt, M (2014). What affects quality of life among caregivers of food-allergic children? Annals of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology 113, 69–74 e2.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kovalenko, PA, Hoven, CW, Wu, P, Wicks, J, Mandell, DJ, Tiet, Q (2001). Association between allergy and anxiety disorders in youth. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 35, 815–821.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Le, TM, Flokstra-de Blok, BM, van Hoffen, E, Lebens, AF, Goossens, NJ, Dubois, AE, Bruijnzeel-Koomen, CA, Knulst, AC (2013). Quality of life is more impaired in patients seeking medical care for food allergy. International Archives of Allergy and Immunology 162, 335–339.Google Scholar
Nautiyal, KM, Ribeiro, AC, Pfaff, DW, Silver, R (2008). Brain mast cells link the immune system to anxiety-like behavior. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 105, 18053–18057.Google Scholar
Newnham, JP, Evans, SF, Michael, CA, Stanley, FJ, Landau, L (1993). Effects of frequent ultrasound during pregnancy: a randomised controlled trial. The Lancet 342, 887–891.Google Scholar
Oberklaid, F, Prior, M, Golvan, D, Clements, A, Williamson, A (1984). Temperament in Australian infants. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health 20, 181–184.Google Scholar
Qin, P, Mortensen, PB, Waltoft, BL, Postolache, TT (2011). Allergy is associated with suicide completion with a possible mediating role of mood disorder–a population-based study. Allergy 66, 658–664.Google Scholar
Robinson, M, Mattes, E, Oddy, WH, Pennell, CE, van Eekelen, A, McLean, NJ, Jacoby, P, Li, J, De Klerk, NH, Zubrick, SR (2011). Prenatal stress and risk of behavioral morbidity from age 2 to 14 years: the influence of the number, type, and timing of stressful life events. Development and Psychopathology 23, 507–520.Google Scholar
Tearne, JE, Robinson, M, Jacoby, P, Li, J, Newnham, J, McLean, N (2015). Does late childbearing increase the risk for behavioural problems in children? A longitudinal cohort study. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 29, 41–49.Google Scholar
Tennant, C, Andrews, G (1976). A scale to measure the stress of life events. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 10, 27–32.Google Scholar
Teufel, M, Biedermann, T, Rapps, N, Hausteiner, C, Henningsen, P, Enck, P, Zipfel, S (2007). Psychological burden of food allergy. World Journal of Gastroenterology 13, 3456.Google Scholar
Timonen, M, Jokelainen, J, Hakko, H, Silvennoinen-Kassinen, S, Meyer-Rochow, V, Herva, A, Räsänen, P (2003 a). Atopy and depression: results from the Northern Finland 1966 birth cohort study. Molecular Psychiatry 8, 738–744.Google Scholar
Timonen, M, Jokelainen, J, Herva, A, Zitting, P, Meyer-Rochow, VB, Räsänen, P (2003 b). Presence of atopy in first-degree relatives as a predictor of a female proband's depression: results from the Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology 111, 1249–1254.Google Scholar
Timonen, M, Jokelainen, J, Silvennoinen-Kassinen, S, Herva, A, Zitting, P, Xu, B, Peltola, O, Räsänen, P (2002). Association between skin test diagnosed atopy and professionally diagnosed depression: a Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort study. Biological Psychiatry 52, 349–355.Google Scholar
Timonen, M, Viilo, K, Hakko, H, Särkioja, T, Meyer-Rochow, VB, Väisänen, E, Räsänen, P (2004). Is seasonality of suicides stronger in victims with hospital-treated atopic disorders? Psychiatry Research 126, 167–175.Google Scholar
van der Velde, JL, Dubois, AE, Flokstra-de Blok, BM (2013). Food allergy and quality of life: what have we learned? Curr Allergy Asthma Rep 13, 651–661.Google Scholar
Wamboldt, MZ, Hewitt, JK, Schmitz, S, Wamboldt, FS, Rasanen, M, Koskenvuo, M, Romanov, K, Varjonen, J, Kaprio, J (2000). Familial association between allergic disorders and depression in adult Finnish twins. American Journal of Medical Genetics 96, 146–153.Google Scholar
Wamboldt, MZ, Weintraub, P, Krafchick, D, Wamboldt, FS (1996). Psychiatric family history in adolescents with severe asthma. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 35, 1042–1049.Google Scholar
Yang, M-T, Lee, W-T, Liang, J-S, Lin, Y-J, Fu, W-M, Chen, C-C (2014). Hyperactivity and impulsivity in children with untreated allergic rhinitis: corroborated by rating scale and continuous performance test. Pediatrics and Neonatology 55, 168–174.Google Scholar
Zubrick, S, Silburn, S, Gurrin, L, Teoh, H, Shepherd, C, Carlton, J, Lawrence, D (1997). Western Australian child health survey: education, health and competence. Perth, Western Australia: Australian Bureau of Statistics and the TVW Telethon Institute for Child Health Research.Google Scholar