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Childhood emotional symptom trajectories in three generationally and socio-ethnically distinct UK birth cohorts

Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Background Depression/anxiety symptoms emerge early in life. We examined emotional symptom trajectories, from early childhood, in three UK birth-cohorts spanning successive generations and diverse socio-ethnic contexts. Methods We used data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), Millennium Cohort Study (MCS) and Born in Bradford (BiB) to identify group-based emotional symptom trajectories from 3-14y (N=11,025; 15,446; 6,711). Participants were born three decades apart (ALSPAC: 1990-2, MCS: 2000-2, BiB: 2007-10). We characterised groups by: sex, ethnicity, maternal depression/anxiety and IMD quintile. In ALSPAC we modelled associations between trajectories and depression/anxiety diagnoses at 24y and 30y. Results Participants from ethnic minority backgrounds comprised 4% of ALSPAC, 17% of MCS and 66% of BiB. In all cohorts 49% were female. Each cohort had low-, mid- and high-level symptom trajectories. High-level trajectories comprised 6-7% of children. In younger cohorts (MCS and BiB), the high-level symptom trajectory started high and persisted while in the older ALSPAC cohort it started low and increased. In MCS and BiB, low-to-medium-level symptoms increased over time, but remained stable in ALSPAC. Female sex and maternal depression/anxiety were associated with increased odds of high-level trajectories (all cohorts). Lower area-level deprivation and belonging to the local ethnic majority group were protective. Mid- and high-level symptom trajectories had higher odds of depression/anxiety diagnoses in early adulthood in ALSPAC. Conclusions Childhood emotional symptom trajectory-groups are broadly similar across generations and diverse social contexts. However, children born after 2000, in more diverse contexts, may experience persistent symptoms from a younger age.
Source: medRxiv
DOI: 10.64898/2026.06.24.26356453
Authors: Sophie J Fairweather, Alex S F Kwong, Emre Deniz, Gemma Hammerton, Golam M Khandaker, Hannah J Jones
Institutions: University of Bristol, NIHR Bristol Biomedical Research Centre, MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust, University of Edinburgh, University of Bradford, Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust
Language: English
Field: Psychology
Open Access status: green
Funders: Wellcome Trust, National Institute for Health and Care Research, British Heart Foundation, Department of Health and Social Care, University of Bristol, Medical Research Council, Economic and Social Research Council
Awards: G140217044, G1684393010, G1793884970, Psychosis Immune Mechanism Stratified Medicine Study (PIMS), G3507283293, CHECKPOINT: Finding immune & metabolic pathways to SMI, The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC): A multi- generation, longitudinal resource focusing on life course health and well- being., G3987754321, G4059666690, The South Wales and South West England Mental Health Platform Hub, Inflammation and Immunity in Depression: from novel mechanisms towards therapeutics, G4302154454, G462051784, G5189661712, G5307399816, Immunopsychiatry: Investigating the role of inflammation in depression and other psychiatric disorders, G6443023363, G6476865236, Identifying the nature, causes and consequences of youth depression trajectories, Inflammation and Immunity in Depression: from novel mechanisms towards therapeutics, Physical and mental health multimorbidity across the lifespan (LIfespaN multimorbidity research Collaborative (LINC))., Identifying the nature, causes and consequences of youth depression trajectories, G789057855, G792825315, The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC): A multi-generation, longitudinal resource focusing on life course health and well-being., G7988709377, G8383967617, G8476933502, G942680792
OpenAlex ID: W7167341722
Cites: 27
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Related to: 10