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Finegold KE, Knight JA, Hung RJ, Ssewanyana D, Wong J, Bertoni K, Adel Khani N, Watson H, Levitan RD, Jenkins JM, Matthews SG, Wade M. Cognitive and Emotional Well-Being of Preschool Children Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic. JAMA Netw Open 2023; 6:e2343814. [PMID: 37971740 PMCID: PMC10654793 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.43814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Importance The association between COVID-19 social disruption and young children's development is largely unknown. Objective To examine associations of pandemic exposure with neurocognitive and socioemotional development at 24 and 54 months of age. Design, Setting, and Participants This cross-sectional study evaluated associations between pandemic exposure vs nonexposure and developmental outcomes with covariate adjustment using data from the Ontario Birth Study collected between February 2018 and June 2022. Eligible participants were children aged 24 and 54 months. Data were analyzed from June to November 2022. Exposure COVID-19 pandemic exposure defined as assessment after March 11, 2020. Main Outcome and Measures Neurodevelopmental assessment using the ASQ-3 (Ages and Stages Questionnaire, Third Edition) and MCHAT-R (Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers, Revised) at 24 months of age, and neurocognitive and socioemotional assessment using the National Institutes of Health Toolbox at 54 months of age. Results A total of 718 children at age 24 months (mean [SD] age, 25.6 [1.7] months; 342 female [47.6%]; 461 White [64.2%]) and 703 at age 54 months (mean [SD] age, 55.4 [2.6] months; 331 female [47.1%]; 487 White [69.3%]) were included. At 24 months of age, 460 participants (232 female [50.4%]) were assessed during the pandemic (March 17, 2020, to May 17, 2022) and 258 (110 female [42.6%]) were assessed prepandemic (April 17, 2018, to March 10, 2020). At 54 months of age, 286 participants (129 female [45.1%]) were assessed from March 14, 2020, to June 6, 2022, and 417 (202 female [48.4%]) were assessed from February 8, 2018, to March 10, 2020. At 24 months of age, pandemic-exposed children had reduced risk of problem-solving difficulties using cutoff scores (odds ratio [OR], 0.33; 95% CI, 0.18-0.62; P = .005) and higher problem-solving (B, 3.93; 95% CI, 2.48 to 5.38; P < .001) compared with nonexposed children. In contrast, pandemic-exposed children had greater risk for personal-social difficulties using cutoff scores (OR, 1.67; 95% CI, 1.09-2.56; P = .02) and continuous scores (B, -1.70; 95% CI, -3.21 to -0.20; P = .02) compared with nonexposed children. At 54 months of age, pandemic-exposed children had higher receptive vocabulary (B, 3.16; 95% CI, 0.13 to 6.19; P = .04), visual memory (B, 5.95; 95% CI, 1.11 to 10.79; P = .02), and overall cognitive performance (B, 3.89; 95% CI, 0.73 to 7.04; P = .02) compared with nonexposed children, with no differences in socioemotional development. Conclusions and Relevance This cross-sectional study found both positive and negative associations between pandemic exposure and preschool children's cognitive and emotional well-being within a relatively socioeconomically advantaged sample.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine E. Finegold
- Department of Applied Psychology and Human Development, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Julia A. Knight
- Prosserman Centre for Health Research, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Division of Epidemiology, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Rayjean J. Hung
- Prosserman Centre for Health Research, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Division of Epidemiology, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Derrick Ssewanyana
- Prosserman Centre for Health Research, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Alliance for Human Development, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jody Wong
- Prosserman Centre for Health Research, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Kashtin Bertoni
- Prosserman Centre for Health Research, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Nadya Adel Khani
- Prosserman Centre for Health Research, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Harmoni Watson
- Prosserman Centre for Health Research, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Robert D. Levitan
- Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jennifer M. Jenkins
- Department of Applied Psychology and Human Development, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Stephen G. Matthews
- Alliance for Human Development, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Sinai Health System, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Mark Wade
- Department of Applied Psychology and Human Development, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Lye JM, Knight JA, Arneja J, Seeto RA, Wong J, Adel Khani N, Brooks JD, Levitan RD, Matthews SG, Lye SJ, Hung RJ. Maternal acetaminophen use and cognitive development at 4 years: the Ontario Birth Study. Pediatr Res 2023; 93:959-963. [PMID: 35794252 PMCID: PMC9261144 DOI: 10.1038/s41390-022-02182-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2021] [Revised: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Studies have suggested a link between prenatal maternal acetaminophen use and adverse developmental outcomes in children. However, there exists a knowledge gap regarding overall cognitive development and use of acetaminophen, especially concerning the timing of use in pregnancy. This study aimed to characterize the relationship between maternal acetaminophen use and cognitive development at 4 years. METHODS This analysis included data collected throughout pregnancy and delivery from women in the Ontario Birth Study prospective cohort from 2013 to 2019 and from the NIH Toolbox Early Childhood Cognition battery administered to 4-year-old children between 2018 and 2021 (n = 436). The exposure was maternal acetaminophen use and the primary outcome was a cognition composite score. The relationship between exposure and outcome was determined using Poisson regression with a robust error variance. RESULTS We did not observe any association between maternal acetaminophen intake any time before or during pregnancy and low cognition composite score of offspring. The IRR of suboptimal overall cognition was 1.38 (0.78-2.45), 1.22 (0.67-2.22), 0.80 (0.44-1.47), and 1.56 (0.74-3.29) for maternal use of acetaminophen before, in early, late, or overall pregnancy, respectively. CONCLUSION Current data do not provide evidence to support a relationship of maternal acetaminophen use during pregnancy with adverse cognitive effects at 4 years. IMPACT Acetaminophen use during pregnancy may influence the risk of child neurocognitive disorders, but there is conflicting evidence of its relationship to sub-clinical measures of cognitive development such as executive function. The study design allowed us to examine the role of timing of acetaminophen use in its relationship with cognitive development, based on a validated and standardized tablet-administered instrument for children, instead of a teacher or parent report. We did not observe a clear relationship between maternal acetaminophen use at different timepoints during pregnancy and child cognitive development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer M Lye
- Prosserman Centre for Population Health Research, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute of Sinai Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Julia A Knight
- Prosserman Centre for Population Health Research, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute of Sinai Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Division of Epidemiology, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Jasleen Arneja
- Division of Epidemiology, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Ryan A Seeto
- Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute of Sinai Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Jody Wong
- Prosserman Centre for Population Health Research, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute of Sinai Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Nadya Adel Khani
- Prosserman Centre for Population Health Research, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute of Sinai Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Jennifer D Brooks
- Division of Epidemiology, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Robert D Levitan
- Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Institute of Medical Science and Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Stephen G Matthews
- Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute of Sinai Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Stephen J Lye
- Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute of Sinai Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Rayjean J Hung
- Prosserman Centre for Population Health Research, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute of Sinai Health, Toronto, ON, Canada.
- Division of Epidemiology, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
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Ssewanyana D, Knight JA, Matthews SG, Wong J, Khani NA, Lye J, Murphy KE, Foshay K, Okeke J, Lye SJ, Hung RJ. Correction: Maternal prenatal psychological distress and vitamin intake with children's neurocognitive development. Pediatr Res 2022; 92:1487. [PMID: 35411070 DOI: 10.1038/s41390-022-02057-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Derrick Ssewanyana
- Alliance for Human Development, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Prosserman Centre for Population Health Research, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Julia A Knight
- Prosserman Centre for Population Health Research, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Division of Epidemiology, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Stephen G Matthews
- Alliance for Human Development, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Sinai Health System, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Jody Wong
- Prosserman Centre for Population Health Research, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Nadya Adel Khani
- Prosserman Centre for Population Health Research, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Jennifer Lye
- Prosserman Centre for Population Health Research, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Kellie E Murphy
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Sinai Health System, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Kim Foshay
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Sinai Health System, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Justin Okeke
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Sinai Health System, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Stephen J Lye
- Alliance for Human Development, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Sinai Health System, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Rayjean J Hung
- Prosserman Centre for Population Health Research, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health, Toronto, ON, Canada. .,Division of Epidemiology, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
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Ssewanyana D, Knight JA, Matthews SG, Wong J, Khani NA, Lye J, Murphy KE, Foshay K, Okeke J, Lye SJ, Hung RJ. Maternal prenatal psychological distress and vitamin intake with children's neurocognitive development. Pediatr Res 2022; 92:1450-1457. [PMID: 35288638 DOI: 10.1038/s41390-022-02003-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2021] [Revised: 01/06/2022] [Accepted: 02/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Maternal prenatal psychological distress (PPD) is increasingly linked to sub-optimal child neurodevelopment. Daily intake of prenatal vitamin during pre-conception and early pregnancy may ameliorate the effects of PPD on cognition in the offspring. METHODS PPD was assessed in early (12-16 weeks) and late (28-32 weeks) gestation in the Ontario Birth Study. Prenatal vitamin supplement intake information was collected in early gestation. Child cognition at 4 years was assessed using the NIH Toolbox. Poisson regression was used to investigate associations between PPD and/or prenatal vitamin intake and child cognition. RESULTS Four hundred and eighteen mother-child dyads were assessed. Moderate-severe PPD experienced during early gestation was associated with reduced cognition (adjusted incidence rate ratio (IRRadj) = 3.71, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.57-8.77, P = 0.003). Daily intake of prenatal vitamins was not associated with cognition (IRRadj = 1.34, 95% CI: 0.73-2.46, P = 0.34). Upon stratification, the experience of mild-severe PPD with daily intake of prenatal vitamins was associated with higher incident rates of suboptimal cognition compared to children of women with daily prenatal vitamin intake without any episode of PPD (IRRadj = 2.88, 95% CI: 1.1-7.4). CONCLUSIONS Moderate-severe PPD in early pregnancy is associated with poor cognition in children and daily intake of prenatal vitamin did not ameliorate this association. IMPACT Our findings expand on existing literature by highlighting that exposure to prenatal psychological distress (PPD), in moderate-to-severe form, in the early stages of pregnancy, can have detrimental effects on the offspring's cognitive development at 4 years. Overall, prenatal vitamin intake did not ameliorate the effects of PPD. Early screening and treatment of prenatal maternal mental illness is crucial.
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Affiliation(s)
- Derrick Ssewanyana
- Alliance for Human Development, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Prosserman Centre for Population Health Research, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Julia A Knight
- Prosserman Centre for Population Health Research, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Division of Epidemiology, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Stephen G Matthews
- Alliance for Human Development, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Sinai Health System, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Jody Wong
- Prosserman Centre for Population Health Research, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Nadya Adel Khani
- Prosserman Centre for Population Health Research, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Jennifer Lye
- Prosserman Centre for Population Health Research, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Kellie E Murphy
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Sinai Health System, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Kim Foshay
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Sinai Health System, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Justin Okeke
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Sinai Health System, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Stephen J Lye
- Alliance for Human Development, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Sinai Health System, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Rayjean J Hung
- Prosserman Centre for Population Health Research, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health, Toronto, ON, Canada. .,Division of Epidemiology, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
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