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Background: The Aggressive Student Culture Scale (ASCS) is a survey designed to measure the extent to which New Zealand (NZ) students experience aggressive behaviours within the school environment. The aim of this study is to assess the psychometric properties of the ASCS in the multidisciplinary "Growing Up in NZ" longitudinal study. Methods: We used data from 4938 children from the "Growing Up in NZ" study to examine the psychometric properties of ASCS for 8-year-old children. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted, and measurement invariance was tested across sex, ethnicity, and deprivation levels. Results: The ASCS tool comprises a single latent factor--aggressive student behaviour. The ASCS provides an adequate and satisfactory measure for student aggression experiences. Full measurement invariance was supported for child's sex, but only configural invariance was confirmed across ethnicity and area-level deprivation. Males reported higher levels of aggressive experiences than females. Conclusions: The one-factor model structure offers an excellent fit to our data with good internal consistency. Comparisons across sex are valid; however, direct comparisons across ethnicity and deprivation levels should be approached with caution. We recommend replication studies and encourage further research involving participants from different age groups to better understand the factor structure across diverse demographic variables.

A variety of antenatal risk factors have been established as being detrimental to a child's developing language ability. Our aim was to examine the relationship between exposure to cumulative risk (CR), including antenatal maternal, perinatal, and maternal health characteristics, and children's preschool language ability. Analyses were comprised of interviews and observational data from 5,721 children and their mothers enrolled in the longitudinal "Growing up in New Zealand" cohort study. Language ability status was measured using the PPVT-III and DIBELS letter naming task (LNF) task at age 4.5 years. Results showed that CR was significantly associated with language status on both measures after controlling for multiple covariates. Improving maternal awareness and support during the perinatal period may reduce the number of risks a fetus is exposed to, which may aid early childhood language development.

This rapid systematic review examined the reported effects of large-scale online education on the behaviour and, ultimately, practice of health and social care professionals. Electronic databases of health and education literature were searched, 193 unique records were screened against inclusion and exclusion criteria, 31 papers were accessed for full text reading and six were included. Identified studies reported primarily qualitative results, which were synthesised according to outcomes. Factors that contributed to the results were also identified. All papers reported that participation in e-learning programmes resulted in changes in behaviour and practice, including: increased awareness, changes in attitudes, improved communication, increased confidence and the actual changes applied in a workplace. Observed benefits of these programmes ranged from gaining new insights into own practice, through feeling empowered to apply changes, to eventually being able to provide more person-centred services and willing to adopt and spread a more humane evidence-based practice. While the current study is an early indication of the potential of large-scale online education to effect practice change, further research is recommended as is further in-depth investigation into how these changes are achieved and what factors contribute to success.

We investigated the association between persistence and change in behavioral difficulties during early to middle childhood and several cognitive outcomes. We observed 3904 8-year-olds enrolled in the longitudinal study Growing Up in New Zealand (50% male/female; 23% Māori, 9% Pacific Peoples, 13% Asian, 2% Middle Eastern/Latin American/African, 9% Other, 43% European). The NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery was used to assess cognitive functioning at 8 years and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire for behavioral difficulties at 4.5 and 8 years. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted, controlling for well-known sociodemographic confounders. Children with persistent or later onset of behavioral difficulties were at higher risk for poorer vocabulary, reading, inhibitory control/attention, episodic memory, working memory and processing speed at age 8 compared to children with no or improved difficulties. Our study supports the importance of addressing both cognitive and behavioral aspects when planning educational programmes and interventions in early and middle childhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of wild fish in and around aquaculture habitats is often assumed a response to food resources within these habitats, either from input feed, the presence of cultured species, and/or the assemblage of biofouling that naturally colonises aquaculture structures. The nutritional quality of the food resources consumed by wild fish in aquaculture habitats is also important in determining their nutritional condition and subsequent productivity. Few studies have investigated the nutritional quality of prey in aquaculture habitats, and these have mostly focused on fed aquaculture by tracking manufactured fish pellets into the diets of wild fish. However, in non‐fed aquaculture, the assemblage of cultured and biofouling species may also provide a nutritional benefit to fish feeding in these habitats. The Australasian snapper, Chrysophrys auratus, are commonly present as adults within coastal mussel farms in New Zealand and tend to become a resident species. This study investigated the nutritional quality of the gut contents of snapper in soft‐sediment habitats within and outside of New Zealand green‐lipped mussel farms. Total lipid, protein, carbohydrate and total calorific content were measured from the gut contents of snapper sampled from mussel farm and natural (i.e. control) habitats. Snapper in mussel farms had double the dietary intake of lipid (16% vs. 8%) from consuming lipid‐rich bivalves and barnacles which are in abundance in mussel farms. Higher lipid intake can contribute to improved nutritional condition, reproduction and growth in snapper. However, the higher dietary lipid intake of snapper in mussel farms did not increase their overall body condition (i.e. Fulton condition index). This may be due to the coarse nature of this measure, or the use of the additional lipid in more rapid somatic growth or reproductive outputs, possibilities that warrant examination through further research. Overall, this study shows for the first time the potential ecosystem benefits of shellfish aquaculture in provisioning nutritionally valuable prey for coastal fish populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Aggressive Student Culture Scale (ASCS) is a survey designed to measure the extent to which New Zealand (NZ) students experience aggressive behaviours within the school environment. The aim of this study is to assess the psychometric properties of the ASCS in the multidisciplinary Growing Up in NZ longitudinal study. Methods: We used data from 4938 children from the Growing Up in NZ study to examine the psychometric properties of ASCS for 8-year-old children. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted, and measurement invariance was tested across sex, ethnicity, and deprivation levels. Results: The ASCS tool comprises a single latent factor: aggressive student behaviour. The ASCS provides an adequate and satisfactory measure for student aggression experiences. Full measurement invariance was supported for child's sex, but only configural invariance was confirmed across ethnicity and area-level deprivation. Males reported higher levels of aggressive experiences than females. Conclusions: The one-factor model structure offers an excellent fit to our data with good internal consistency. Comparisons across sex are valid; however, direct comparisons across ethnicity and deprivation levels should be approached with caution. We recommend replication studies and encourage further research involving participants from different age groups to better understand the factor structure across diverse demographic variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The International Ocean Discovery Program cored five sites during Expeditions 372 and 375 to investigate the Hikurangi margin, offshore Poverty Bay, North Island, New Zealand. Trench‐wedge deposits were recovered at Site U1520, and the frontal accretionary prism was cored at Site U1518. Based on X‐ray diffraction analyses of the clay‐sized fraction, illite and smectite are the dominant clay minerals. Compositional scatter is unusually large, and a well‐defined mixing trend is evident between illite‐rich and smectite‐rich end members. The proportion of smectite ranges from 9 to 59 wt.% at Site U1518 and from 12 to 62 wt.% at Site U1520. Nearby slope deposits at Sites U1517 and U1519 are more homogeneous, with consistently higher proportions of smectite. The East Cape Current is probably responsible for transporting smectite‐rich suspensions towards the south‐west from sources that include the Taupo Volcanic Zone. Illite‐rich muds require different sources and different routing paths to the trench. Some suspended sediment probably originated in the Waipaoa watershed on the North Island, entering the trench via Māhia Canyon. Other gravity flows probably started in Kaikōura Canyon or Cook Strait and moved towards the north‐east, down the trench's axial channel. The influence of turbidity currents on clay composition changes with water depth, as do the effects of reworking by contour currents and the role of passive hemipelagic settling. The broad continuum of clay compositions in the trench is enhanced by variable amounts of mixing among multiple ocean currents and fluctuating durations of suspension within a bottom nepheloid layer. That complexity deviates from the paradigm of turbidite‐dominated trench wedges. The margin's compositional diversity also complicates the goal of predicting or modelling three‐dimensional variations in frictional, geotechnical and hydrogeological properties. Those lithological properties are important because they affect slope stability along strike and changes in fault‐slip behaviour along the subduction interface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The International Ocean Discovery Program cored Sites U1517 (Tuaheni landslide) and U1519 (Tuaheni Basin) on the Hikurangi slope, North Island, New Zealand. We employed X‐ray diffraction to document clay mineral assemblages within the muddy sediments, with the aim of testing their potential influences on slope stability. Detrital smectite dominates the clays, with average proportions of 52 wt% at Site U1517 and 53 wt% at Site U1519. Bulk sediment from Site U1517 contains up to ∼29 wt% smectite (average = 21 wt%), high enough to reduce the angle of internal friction (on average) to ∼6°. Stratigraphic sections at both sites are homogeneous; compositional excursions are not evident along inferred slip surfaces or weak layers. Smectite decreases in the "downstream" direction of the East Cape Current, and that spatial trend correlates with lower densities of slide scars. The uniformity of compositional preconditioning, however, points to other factors as determinants of slip nucleation. Plain Language Summary: Expandable clay minerals (smectite) are notorious for weakening sediments and contributing to conditions that promote landslides. The Hikurangi margin offshore North Island, New Zealand, is noted for its abundance of submarine landslides. To assess their possible causes, we analyzed clay mineral assemblages from two sites on the upper trench slope that were sampled by the International Ocean Discovery Program. Cores from Sites U1517 and U1519 display unusual degrees of compositional homogeny, with smectite as the dominant clay mineral. We did not find any compositional anomalies at inferred slip surfaces or along weak layers of the Tuaheni landslide. Instead, the entire stratigraphic succession appears to be relatively weak. With inherited preconditioning, dynamic loading during large earthquakes is probably enough to trigger landslides, especially on steeper slopes. Key Points: Hikurangi trench‐slope sediments, including muds within the Tuaheni landslide complex, contain high concentrations of detrital smectiteSmectite is abundant enough to reduce the bulk sediment's coefficient of friction, with little stratigraphic variabilityThe homogeneous mud composition results from strong currents and does not change significantly along inferred slip surfaces or weak layers [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growing Up in New Zealand is this country's largest contemporary longitudinal study of child development. The study has been designed to provide insight into the lives of children and young people growing up in the context of twenty-first century New Zealand. The Growing Up in New Zealand cohort recruited 6853 children representative of the current ethnic and socioeconomic diversity of births in Aotearoa, New Zealand in 2009 and 2010. The developmental wellbeing of the children has been tracked in detail over their first thousand days of life and every two to three years since. While the majority of the cohort are growing up healthy and happy, a significant proportion of children are growing up in families who have been persistently burdened with multiple stressors associated with economic, material and social hardship. This has created a disproportionate burden of poorer overall wellbeing outcomes and limited life course opportunities for these children from an early age. This paper will explore some of the evidence collected from the diverse cohort of New Zealand children and their families and whānau from before birth to middle childhood, highlighting the key findings and the utility of the evidence to improve wellbeing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Participants were 5,831 women in their third trimester of pregnancy, part of a large, longitudinal, pre-birth national cohort study. Women reported on their experience of pushing and shoving, throwing or breaking objects within their relationship over the past month. Univariable regression models examined the association of a large number of potential risk and protective factors. Those significant at the univariable level were carried forward into final multivariable analyses, stratified by New Zealand's four main ethnic groups: European, Māori, Pacific, and Asian peoples. Relationship commitment, reduced family cohesion, and perceived stress were associated with increased risk across ethnic groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of this study was to derive a factor structure of the measures of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Toolbox Cognition Battery (CB) that is representative of cognitive abilities in a large ethnically diverse cohort of 8-year-old children in Aotearoa New Zealand. Methods: Our sample comprised of 4298 8-year-old children from the Growing Up in New Zealand study. We conducted exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis for the NIH Toolbox CB measures to discover the best-fitting factor structure in our sample. Measurement invariance of the identified model was tested across child's gender, socio-economic status (SES), and ethnicity. Results: A three-dimensional factor structure was identified, with one factor of Crystallised Cognition (Reading and Vocabulary), and two distinguished factors of fluid cognition: Fluid Cognition I (Attention/Inhibitory Control, Processing Speed, and Cognitive Flexibility) and Fluid Cognition II (Working Memory, Episodic Memory). The results demonstrate excellent model fit, but reliability of the factors was low. Measurement invariance was confirmed for child's gender. We found configural, but neither metric nor scalar, invariance across SES and the four major ethnic groups: European, Māori, Pacific Peoples, and Asian. Conclusion: Our findings show that, at the age of 8 years, fluid abilities are more strongly associated with one another than with crystallised abilities and that fluid abilities need to be further differentiated. This dimensional structure allows for comparisons across child's gender, but evaluations across SES and ethnicity within the Aotearoa New Zealand context must be conducted with caution. We recommend using raw scores of the individual NIH Toolbox CB measures in future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disentangling the meteorological and human drivers of drought is a critical challenge. A key difficulty is identifying natural conditions against which human impacts can be analysed. Here, a combination of approaches is used: a hydrological model is developed for an upstream unmodified location and is then applied to a downstream site subject to irrigation-related abstractions: i.e. an upstream–downstream/observation–model approach. The relative importance of climate change is also investigated. The study location (the Lindis River, New Zealand) has a continental climate, and the lower river frequently runs dry during summer. Output from the hydrological model indicates that despite the warm and dry summer conditions there is a substantial influence of abstractions on Lindis River low flows – without abstractions, dewatering would likely be rare rather than regular. Increases in precipitation associated with climate change could reduce the occurrence of dewatering, but this eventuality will be strongly influenced by water management strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The link between behavioural and cognitive difficulties is well established. However, research is limited on whether persistence and change in behavioural difficulties relates to cognitive outcomes, particularly during preschool. We used a large New Zealand birth cohort to investigate how persistence and change in serious behavioural problems from ages 2 to 4.5 years related to measures of cognitive delay at 4.5 years (n = 5885). Using the Strengths and Difficulties total problems score at each time point, children were categorised as showing no difficulties, improved behaviour, concurrent difficulties, and persistent difficulties. Cognitive measures assessed included receptive language, early literacy ability, and executive control. Our results showed that children with concurrent and persistent behavioural difficulties were at a greater risk of showing delays within specific cognitive domains relative to children with no difficulties and were also more likely to show comorbid delays across multiple cognitive domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inhibitory control is central to developmental trajectories of cognitive, emotional and social functioning in children. Here, inhibitory control was measured using the Luria hand clap task (an adapted version of the Luria pencil tap task). A sample of 5,448 children age 4½ years and their mothers from a longitudinal, population-based New Zealand cohort were included in this study. Antenatal maternal health indictors, child characteristics and performance on the Luria hand clap task were assessed using multivariate ordinal logistic regression. Seven covariates, including mother's ethnicity and education, and child's gender, age and birthweight were included. Based on Luria task performance scores that approximated the 25th and 50th percentiles, children were categorised into three groups (low, intermediate, high). High Luria task performance was associated with maternal relationship status, maternal education, first trimester folate supplementation, maternal BMI and smoking before pregnancy. In addition, children born heavier, and female, and older children were more likely to be in the top Luria score category relative to children born smaller, male and younger. A number of potentially modifiable maternal factors significantly predict Luria task performance in children age 4½ years. Identifying socio-demographic, child characteristics and maternal factors that are associated with inhibitory control is a crucial first step for identifying children at risk of atypical inhibition development and informing behavioural intervention strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Maternal depression is associated with infant and child sleep patterns, and with infant temperament. Here, we examine whether infant temperament mediated an association between maternal antenatal depression and toddler sleep.Method: Within the prebirth longitudinal cohort Growing Up in New Zealand, symptoms of antenatal and postnatal depression were measured in 5,568 women using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Infant temperament was measured at age 9 months using the Very Short Form of Infant Behavior Questionnaire-Revised (IBQ-R VSF). Sleep duration and nighttime awakenings were reported by parents when children were 2 years old.Results: Independent associations of maternal depression with child sleep patterns at age 2 years, adjusted for maternal demographics, physical health, family relationships, and child health and feeding, were determined using multivariate logistic regression analysis. The odds of having ≥2 nighttime awakenings were increased for children whose mothers had antenatal (1.36, 1.07-1.73) but not postnatal (1.22, 0.88-1.68) or both antenatal and postnatal depression (0.89, 0.56-1.36). There was no association of maternal depression with shorter sleep duration. Two of five dimensions of infant temperament (fear and negative affect) were associated with both antenatal depression scores and increased nighttime awakenings. Mediation analyses controlling for postnatal depression and other predictors of child sleep supported an indirect pathway of antenatal depression to child sleep through infant temperamental negative affectivity.Conclusion: Antenatal depression is independently associated with more frequent nighttime awakenings in early childhood. Findings support an indirect pathway through infant negative affect characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is limited research on the preschool version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), and comparisons between mothers and fathers as informants and whether the factor structure shows measurement invariance across parents is lacking. Our study involved mothers (n = 6,246) and fathers (n = 3,759) of 2-year-old children from the Growing Up in New Zealand birth cohort. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to evaluate the factor structure of the SDQ and test for measurement invariance across mothers and fathers. For fathers, we found support for a modified five-factor model that accounts for a positive construal method effect. Internal consistency was good for measures except peer problems. Full measurement invariance of this modified model was found across mothers and fathers, and parents showed moderate agreement in their SDQ ratings (0.34 ≤ r ≤ 0.44). More research is needed on whether mother- and father-reports differ in sensitivity when screening for early childhood psychiatric disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTRODUCTION: Pacific women in New Zealand (NZ) have higher rates of antenatal depression than women from other ethnic groups. AIM: To identify factors that are significantly associated with depression symptoms in pregnant Pacific women living in NZ. METHODS: Data were collected from 5657 pregnant women, 727 of whom identified their ethnicity as Pacific Island. Antenatal depression symptoms were measured using the Edinburgh Depression Scale with scores above 12 indicating elevated antenatal depression symptoms (ADS). RESULTS: Pacific women had significantly higher rates of ADS than non-Pacific women, with 23% of pregnant Pacific women experiencing ADS. Factors associated with ADS for Pacific women included age <25 years, moderate to severe nausea during pregnancy, perceived stress, family stress and relationship conflict. Not seeing the importance of maintaining one's Pacific culture and traditions and negative feelings towards NZ culture were also significantly associated with ADS in Pacific women. One in three Pacific women aged <25 years experienced ADS. Pregnant Pacific women without a family general practitioner (GP) before their pregnancy were 4.5-fold more likely to experience ADS than non-Pacific women with a regular GP. DISCUSSION: Further attention is required to providing appropriate primary health care for Pacific women of child-bearing age in NZ. Better screening processes and a greater understanding of effective antenatal support for Pacific women is recommended to respond to the multiple risk factors for antenatal depression among Pacific women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When fathers live away from their children, taking an active paternal role may become challenging and can add to paternal psychological distress. In a large (N = 3,980) diverse cohort, we found that nonresident fathers are more likely to be psychologically distressed than resident fathers (27.4% vs. 15.2%) and more likely to report wanting a change in the level of involvement they have in their child's life (76.6% vs. 58.1%). Nonresident fathers were more likely to suffer economic hardship, unemployment, poor health, and have a depression and anxiety history (ps < .001). However, the factors associated with increased psychological distress were largely the same across resident and nonresident fathers. The biggest stressors were managing work alongside family responsibilities and commitments, arguments with the partner, prior history of depression, and economic hardship or deprivation. Fathers' actual levels of involvement and desired levels of involvement with their child did not predict their psychological distress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Antenatal and postnatal depression can lead to poor outcomes for women and their children. The aim of this study was to explore whether risk factors differ for depression symptoms that are present during pregnancy and/or after childbirth. Methods An ethnically and socioeconomically diverse sample of 5301 women completed interviews during the third trimester of pregnancy and 9 months after childbirth. Depression symptoms were measured using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Depression symptoms (defined as EPDS >12) among participants and associations with pre-pregnancy and pregnancy maternal characteristics were explored using logistic regression. Results The rate of antenatal depression symptoms (ADS) only was 8.5, 5% of women had depression symptoms at 9 months postpartum (PDS) only and 3% experienced depression symptoms at both time points. Perceived stress and Pacific or Asian ethnicity were risk factors for ADS and PDS. Anxiety during and before pregnancy was a risk factor for ADS only while having a pre-pregnancy diagnosis of depression was a risk factor for PDS only. Having ADS increased the odds ratio of PDS by 1.5 (95% CI 1.01-2.30). Conclusions The results supported evidence from previous longitudinal studies that depression symptoms appear to be higher during pregnancy than in the first year following childbirth. The study found that PDS may often be a continuation or recurrence of ADS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints launched a sustained mission to the New Zealand Maori beginning in the 1880s. By the turn of the century, the church counted nearly a 10th of the total Maori population as members. This article explores the ways in which Mormonism provided interested Maori with an unusually rich, culturally compatible resource for shaping and proclaiming their identity. The heart of that resource was the Book of Mormon, a Latter-day Saint volume of scripture which was read to broaden and deepen the perceived connection between the Maori and ancient Israel. The article also examines the way in which Maori prophecies were understood to anticipate the arrival of Mormonism and thereby sanction its acceptance. As a result, there was a clear sense that in becoming Mormon one was not abandoning Maori culture to become a brown Pakeha (European). The history of Mormon-Maori interaction offers a compelling case study in how culture conjunctures can yield an authentic hybrid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Behavioural problems and psychopathology can present from as early as the preschool period. However there is evidence that behavioural difficulties may not be stable over this period. Therefore, the current study was interested in evaluating the persistence and change in clinically relevant behavioural problems during early childhood in a population-based New Zealand birth cohort.Methods: Behaviour was assessed in 5896 children when they were aged 2 and 4.5 years using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Correlations and mean differences in subscale and total difficulties scores were examined. Scores were then dichotomised into normal/borderline and abnormal ranges to evaluate the persistence and change in significant behavioural problems. Chi-square analyses and ANOVAs were used to determine the association between sociodemographic and birth variables, and preschool behavioural stability.Results: Raw scores at ages 2 and 4.5 years were moderately correlated, with most measures showing a small but significant decrease in mean scores over time. The majority of children who showed abnormal behaviour at 2 years improved at 4.5 years (57.9% for total difficulties). However, a notable proportion persisted in their difficulties from 2 to 4.5 years (42.1% for total difficulties). There was a small percentage of children who were categorised as abnormal only at 4.5 years. Children with difficulties at one or both time points had a greater proportion who were the result of an unplanned pregnancy, lived in highly deprived urban areas, and had mothers who were younger, of Māori and Pacific ethnicity and were less educated.Conclusions: Not all children who show early behavioural difficulties persist in these difficulties. Those whose difficulties persist were more likely to experience risk factors for vulnerability relative to children with no difficulties. Results suggest that repeated screening for early childhood behavioural difficulties is important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Cognitive composite indices were developed in early childhood. • Data from the longitudinal birth cohort study, Growing Up in New Zealand, was used (N = 6074). • Factor analysis comprised 21 cognitive measures in total at ages 9 months, 2 years and 4.5 years. • One factor at 9 months and two factors at 2 years and 4.5 years, respectively were identified. • The cognitive composites can be used to observe changes of general cognitive abilities in the future. A key difficulty in assessing cognitive development in early childhood lies in the necessity of using different measures for age groups over time. We report on the development of cognitive composite indices (CCIs) at 9 months, 2 years and 4.5 years in children enrolled in the Growing Up in New Zealand study. Data was collected from 6074 children comprising 21 age-adjusted cognitive outcomes. Factor analysis was performed, identifying one factor at 9 months and two factors at 2 years and 4.5 years, respectively. Only the CCIs identified at 4.5 years were significantly related to cognitive outcomes at 8 years. The scores identified in this study can potentially be used to observe rank order changes or movement of general cognitive abilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Poor maternal health, disadvantageous exposures during pregnancy and unfavourable perinatal events are associated with adverse trajectories in offspring cognitive development.Aim: To examine longitudinal associations between antenatal maternal, perinatal and maternal health characteristics and children's early cognitive development across executive control, motor ability and receptive language domains.Study Design, Subjects and Outcome Measures: Analyses comprised interview and observational data from 4587 children and their mothers enrolled in the longitudinal Growing Up in New Zealand cohort study. Children's executive control (Luria hand clap task), motor skills (mothers' report) and receptive language ability (Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test) were assessed at age 4.5 years. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted, controlling for sociodemographic factors.Results: Smoking pre- and during pregnancy, no folate intake during first trimester and low birth weight were risk factors for poorer executive control. Perceived stress during pregnancy, no folate intake during first trimester and low birth weight were all risk factors for poorer motor ability. Smoking pre-pregnancy, antenatal anxiety and no folate intake during first trimester were risk factors for poorer receptive language ability.Conclusion: Adverse ante- and perinatal environments are associated with poorer executive control, motor and receptive language abilities in early childhood. Improving maternal education and support especially for more disadvantaged mothers during pregnancy may reduce the potential deleterious impact of adverse ante- and perinatal conditions on children's early cognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Depression during pregnancy has significant implications for pregnancy outcomes and maternal and child health. There is a need to identify which family, physical and mental health factors are associated with depression during pregnancy. Methods An ethnically and socioeconomically diverse sample of 5664 pregnant women living in New Zealand completed a face-to-face interview during the third trimester. Antenatal depression (AD) symptoms were assessed using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Maternal demographic, physical and mental health, and family and relationship characteristics were measured. The association between symptoms of AD and maternal characteristics was determined using multiple logistic regression. Results 11.9% of the participating women had EPDS scores (13+) that indicated probable AD. When considering sociodemographic predictors of AD symptoms, we found that women from non-European ethnicities, specifically Pacific Islander, Asian and other, were more likely to suffer from AD symptoms. Greater perceived stress during pregnancy and a diagnosis of anxiety both before and during pregnancy were also associated with greater odds of having AD according to the EPDS. Limitations The women were in their third trimester of pregnancy at the interview. Therefore, we cannot discount the possibility of recall bias for questions relating to pre-pregnancy status or early-pregnancy behaviours. Conclusions AD is prevalent amongst New Zealand women. Ethnicity, perceived stress and anxiety are particularly associated with a greater likelihood of depression during pregnancy. Further attention to supporting maternal mental health status in the antenatal period is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The determinants of talking delay alone or its comorbidity with behavioural difficulties was examined in 5768 two-year-old members of the Growing Up in New Zealand longitudinal study. Using the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development inventories and the total difficulties score from the preschool Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, a composite measure was created so that children were categorised as showing no language or behavioural concerns (72.5%), behavioural only difficulties (6.1%), language only difficulties (18.1%), and comorbid language and behavioural difficulties (3.3%). Analyses revealed that antenatal factors such as maternal perceived stress, inadequate folate intake, vitamin intake, alcohol consumption during the first trimester and maternal smoking all had a significant effect on child outcomes. In particular, low multivitamin intake and perceived stress during pregnancy were associated with coexisting language and behavioural difficulties. These findings support international research in showing that maternal factors during pregnancy are associated with developmental outcomes in the early childhood period, and demonstrate these associations within a NZ context. Interventions which address maternal stress management and health behaviours during pregnancy could be beneficial to offspring development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Submarine landslides are recurrent features along the Hikurangi Subduction Margin, offshore New Zealand, occurring in high numbers within depositional forearc basins and the subduction trough. The sedimentary sequences of the Hikurangi Trough located between the deformation front and Tūranganui Knoll were drilled for the first time at Site U1520 during IODP Expeditions 372 and 375. This drill site intersected the toe domain of the giant Ruatoria Debris Flow (RDF). Despite being one of the largest submarine avalanches yet identified on Earth, the RDF is drastically understudied and many outstanding questions regarding its morphology, internal composition and complexity, and emplacement mechanisms are still unanswered. Here we integrate observations from 2D seismic profiles, Logging-while-drilling (LWD) data acquired during Expedition 372 and sediment cores retrieved during Expedition 375 for a preliminary characterisation of the RDF. The RDF is seismically distinct from the bounding seismic units at Site U1520, showing low to moderate amplitudes. Internal reflections vary from chaotic to stratified in places. Intra-RDF imbricated thrusts are observed on seismic data, especially on the western edge. Synthetic logs show a good correlation between seismic and logging units. LWD data indicates that the top of the RDF is at 107 mbsf and the base at 225 mbsf. Sediment cores retrieved from Site U1520 indicate approximate values for the top of the RDF, intersecting it at 110 mbsf, but the base was not sampled. Although the RDF log signature is well delimited and distinct from the adjacent logging units, lithofacies analysis from cores do not show marked changes from overlying turbidite units. This suggests Site U1520 intersected the RDF at a rafted block with no deformation. Future work aims to characterise the dynamics and local vs distant sources of sediment remobilised by the Ruatoria Debris Flow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]