2024
Post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms following exposure to acute psychological trauma in children aged 8–16 years in South Africa: protocol for the Sinethemba longitudinal study
Sharp T, Chideya Y, Giuliani A, Hunt X, Tomlinson M, Seedat S, Creswell C, Fearon P, Hamilton-Giachritsis C, Hiller R, Meiser-Stedman R, Du Toit S, Stewart J, Halligan S. Post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms following exposure to acute psychological trauma in children aged 8–16 years in South Africa: protocol for the Sinethemba longitudinal study. BMJ Open 2024, 14: e085129. PMID: 38991675, DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-085129.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsMental health outcomesPost-traumatic stress disorderChildren aged 8Caregiver supportHealth outcomesAssociation of psychosocial factorsAdverse mental health outcomesAged 8Traumatic eventsChildren’s post-traumatic stress disorderDepartment of HealthMiddle-income countriesTrauma-related mental healthPsychological risk factorsHigh-income countriesStress disorder symptomsFollow-up assessmentPost-traumatic stress disorder symptomsCape TownMotor vehicle accidentsHealthcare clinicsPsychosocial factorsMental healthPsychological recoveryEthical approvalCommentary: Health anxiety in youth during ‘COVID’ – some thoughts prompted by Rask et al. (2024)
Sonuga‐Barke E, Fearon P. Commentary: Health anxiety in youth during ‘COVID’ – some thoughts prompted by Rask et al. (2024). Journal Of Child Psychology And Psychiatry 2024, 65: 431-434. PMID: 38415840, DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.13973.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchBuilding resilience: Key to protecting adolescent mental health
Viding E, Fearon P, Wu T, Lloyd A, Lucas L, Law R, Smith J. Building resilience: Key to protecting adolescent mental health. Open Access Government 2024, 41: 184-185. DOI: 10.56367/oag-041-11194.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
2022
Perceived stress during the prenatal period: assessing measurement invariance of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) across cultures and birth parity
Katus L, Foley S, Murray A, Luong-Thanh B, Taut D, Baban A, Madrid B, Fernando A, Sikander S, Ward C, Osafo J, Marlow M, Du Toit S, Walker S, Van Vo T, Fearon P, Valdebenito S, Eisner M, Hughes C. Perceived stress during the prenatal period: assessing measurement invariance of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) across cultures and birth parity. Archives Of Women's Mental Health 2022, 25: 633-640. PMID: 35420323, PMCID: PMC9072510, DOI: 10.1007/s00737-022-01229-5.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
2021
Mental health and behavioural difficulties in adopted children: A systematic review of post-adoption risk and protective factors
Duncan M, Woolgar M, Ransley R, Fearon P. Mental health and behavioural difficulties in adopted children: A systematic review of post-adoption risk and protective factors. Adoption & Fostering 2021, 45: 414-429. DOI: 10.1177/03085759211058358.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchBehavioral difficultiesMental healthProtective factorsNon-adopted peersFuture researchChild mental healthRigorous methodological criteriaFamily factorsBehavioral outcomesContextual variablesMental health servicesShape interventionsPrevious researchChildrenClinical implicationsWeb of ScienceHealth servicesSystematic reviewGreater riskSociological AbstractsDifficultiesMethodological criteriaSystemic factorsSignificant riskResearchEditorial: Do lockdowns scar? Three putative mechanisms through which COVID‐19 mitigation policies could cause long‐term harm to young people's mental health
Sonuga‐Barke E, Fearon P. Editorial: Do lockdowns scar? Three putative mechanisms through which COVID‐19 mitigation policies could cause long‐term harm to young people's mental health. Journal Of Child Psychology And Psychiatry 2021, 62: 1375-1378. PMID: 34806768, PMCID: PMC9011706, DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.13537.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsYoung people's mental healthPeople's mental healthMental healthLong-term effectsPutative mechanismsHigh-risk settingsParent mental healthPre-existing conditionsUse of lockdownsLong-term harmCOVID-19 mitigation policiesNegative psychological impactParticular riskCOVID-19Social isolationPsychological impactVulnerable individualsHealthEarly predictionDirect effectSuch long-term effectsIndirect effectsLockdownHarmPersonsFirst 1,000 days: enough for mothers but not for children? Long‐term outcomes of an early intervention on maternal depressed mood and child cognitive development: follow‐up of a randomised controlled trial
Tomlinson M, Skeen S, Melendez‐Torres G, Hunt X, Desmond C, Morgan B, Murray L, Cooper P, Rathod S, Marlow M, Fearon P. First 1,000 days: enough for mothers but not for children? Long‐term outcomes of an early intervention on maternal depressed mood and child cognitive development: follow‐up of a randomised controlled trial. Journal Of Child Psychology And Psychiatry 2021, 63: 261-272. PMID: 34227113, DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.13482.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsChildren's cognitive developmentChild cognitive outcomesCognitive developmentCognitive outcomesMaternal moodMother-infant relationship qualityDepressed moodEarly interventionKaufman Assessment BatteryEarly mother-infant relationshipLong-term child outcomesCapacity of parentsYears of ageMother-infant relationshipMaternal depressed moodAttachment interventionsMaternal mental healthPsychological distressAssessment BatteryChild developmentChild outcomesRelationship qualityNull findingsMental healthMoodDevelopmental trajectories of autistic social traits in the general population
Pender R, Fearon P, St Pourcain B, Heron J, Mandy W. Developmental trajectories of autistic social traits in the general population. Psychological Medicine 2021, 53: 814-822. PMID: 34154678, DOI: 10.1017/s0033291721002166.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsAutism spectrum disorderGrowth mixture modellingAutistic traitsSocial difficultiesCommunication Disorders ChecklistTrajectory groupsMajority-male groupsSCDC scoresAutistic peopleASD diagnosisSpectrum disorderDevelopmental trajectoriesCommunication traitsExternalising difficultiesAvon Longitudinal StudyTrait continuumGeneral population sampleAge 7Social traitsMental healthLongitudinal studyAdolescenceExternal validityPersistent lowYoung peopleDecision-making ability, psychopathology, and brain connectivity
Moutoussis M, Garzón B, Neufeld S, Bach D, Rigoli F, Goodyer I, Bullmore E, Consortium N, Fonagy P, Jones P, Hauser T, Romero-Garcia R, St Clair M, Vértes P, Whitaker K, Inkster B, Prabhu G, Ooi C, Toseeb U, Widmer B, Bhatti J, Villis L, Alrumaithi A, Birt S, Bowler A, Cleridou K, Dadabhoy H, Davies E, Firkins A, Granville S, Harding E, Hopkins A, Isaacs D, King J, Kokorikou D, Maurice C, McIntosh C, Memarzia J, Mills H, O’Donnell C, Pantaleone S, Scott J, Fearon P, Suckling J, van Harmelen A, Kievit R, Guitart-Masip M, Dolan R. Decision-making ability, psychopathology, and brain connectivity. Neuron 2021, 109: 2025-2040.e7. PMID: 34019810, PMCID: PMC8221811, DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.04.019.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMeSH KeywordsAdolescentAffectAntisocial Personality DisorderAnxietyBrainCognitionDecision MakingDepressionDepressive Disorder, MajorFactor Analysis, StatisticalFemaleFunctional NeuroimagingHumansIntelligence TestsMagnetic Resonance ImagingMaleNeural PathwaysNeuropsychological TestsPsychosocial FunctioningSelf ConceptSocial InteractionYoung AdultConceptsDecision-making abilityFunctional connectivityResting-state functional connectivityGeneral social functioningDecision-making measuresPoor social functionCognitive constructsCognitive processesBrain signaturesSocial functioningThought patternsBrain connectivityMental healthMultiple domainsSocial functionIQBrain dataCommon factorsYoung peopleConstructsIndividuals 18Neural networkConnectivityAbilityPsychopathology
2018
Personality dimensions emerging during adolescence and young adulthood are underpinned by a single latent trait indexing impairment in social functioning
Polek E, Jones PB, Fearon P, Brodbeck J, Moutoussis M, NSPN Consortium, Dolan R, Fonagy P, Bullmore ET, Goodyer IM. Personality dimensions emerging during adolescence and young adulthood are underpinned by a single latent trait indexing impairment in social functioning. BMC Psychiatry 2018, 18: 23. PMID: 29373967, PMCID: PMC5787243, DOI: 10.1186/s12888-018-1595-0.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMeSH KeywordsAdolescentAdultDiagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental DisordersFemaleHumansInterpersonal RelationsLongitudinal StudiesMaleModels, PsychologicalPersonalityPersonality DisordersPsychiatric Status Rating ScalesPsychology, AdolescentReproducibility of ResultsSelf ReportSeverity of Illness IndexSocial ParticipationYoung AdultConceptsBifactor modelPersonality traitsSocial functioningGeneral factorPersonality disorderDistinct personality traitsVolunteer community sampleSelf-report questionnairesMental health measuresYoung adult yearsOrthogonal factor modelStable behavioral traitNegative emotionalityImpulsivity traitsLatent personalityRelated personality disordersCommunity sampleBehavioral stylePersonality dimensionsYoung adulthoodMore impairmentMental healthAdult yearsOrthogonal factorsYoung adults
2016
Disentangling the mental health impact of childhood abuse and neglect
Cecil C, Viding E, Fearon P, Glaser D, McCrory E. Disentangling the mental health impact of childhood abuse and neglect. Child Abuse & Neglect 2016, 63: 106-119. PMID: 27914236, DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2016.11.024.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsMental healthMaltreatment typesMain independent predictorsMental health impactMental health outcomesCommunity violence exposureIndependent predictorsTrauma-related symptomsOutcome measuresPsychiatric symptomsHigh-risk youthHealth outcomesPsychiatric symptomatologySocio-demographic variablesSymptom severityNeighbourhood deprivationViolence exposureChildhood abuseHealth impactsCommunity sampleSymptomsIndividual responsesSpecific effectsCurrent studyEmotional abuse
2009
The role played by the interaction between genetic factors and attachment in the stress response in infancy
Frigerio A, Ceppi E, Rusconi M, Giorda R, Raggi M, Fearon P. The role played by the interaction between genetic factors and attachment in the stress response in infancy. Journal Of Child Psychology And Psychiatry 2009, 50: 1513-1522. PMID: 19686331, DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.2009.02126.x.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMeSH KeywordsAdultAllelesAlpha-AmylasesChild, PreschoolFamilyFemaleHumansHydrocortisoneHypothalamo-Hypophyseal SystemInfantMaleMother-Child RelationsObject AttachmentPituitary-Adrenal SystemPolymorphism, GeneticReceptors, Dopamine D4Receptors, GABA-ASalivary GlandsSerotonin Plasma Membrane Transport ProteinsStress, PsychologicalConceptsIndividual differencesChild–mother attachment relationshipsSecurity of attachmentStrange Situation ProcedureAlpha-amylase responsesAttachment relationshipsAttachment interactionsAlpha-amylase concentrationsMental healthCortisol activitySalivary cortisolDifferent characteristic responsesImportance of understandingGenetic polymorphismsBiological factorsAttachmentHealthy infantsInfancyAmylase responseAmylase concentrationPhysiological responsesStress responseBasal levelsSystem activityGenetic factors