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The present study investigated the relations among fetal testosterone, child socio-emotional engagement and language development in a sample of 467 children (235 boys) from the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study. Bioavailable testosterone concentration measured in umbilical cord blood taken at birth was found to be significantly negatively correlated with socio-emotional engagement and vocabulary development for boys but not for girls. Socio-emotional engagement mediated the effect of boys' fetal testosterone levels on their vocabulary development. However, the size of the effects was small, and fetal testosterone and socio-emotional engagement were no longer significant predictors of boys' vocabulary scores after accounting for the effects of other predictors including maternal age and education, parity, and parent-child book reading. It is concluded that further research into these associations is warranted in both typical and atypical development and that this research would profit from including a broader focus on the role that proximal processes such as socio-emotional engagement, joint attention and imitation have in mediating the developmental effects of prenatal factors such as fetal testosterone exposure. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Early first sexual intercourse (FSI) is a risk factor for unplanned teenage pregnancy sexually transmitted infection, and adverse social, emotional, and physical health outcomes in adolescence and into adulthood. The aim of this study was to examine relationships between internalizing (eg, anxious/depressed, withdrawn) and externalizing (eg, delinquent, aggressive) behavior problems in childhood and age at FSI. METHODS: We used a large, population-based birth cohort (The Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort [Raine] Study) to address this question. Child behavior was measured by using the Child Behavior Checklist collected from parents at ages 2, 5, 8, 10, and 14 and scores calculated for total, internalizing, and externalizing behavior problems. At age 17, 1200 participants reported sexual behavior. RESULTS: Participants with clinically significant Child Behavior Checklist scores (T ≥60) were at increased risk for earlier first sexual intercourse [FSI] [<16 years). Adjusted odds ratios revealed that total and externalizing behavior problems from age 5 years onward significantly increased the risk of earlier FSI for boys. In girls, externalizing problems from age 10 years increased the risk for earlier FSI. Internalizing problems at ages 8 and 10 were significantly associated with early FSI for boys but not girls. CONCLUSIONS: Externalizing behavior from as early as 5 in boys and 10 in girls is a significant risk factor for earlier age at FSI. Adolescent sexual health promotion should consider early intervention in children with behavior problems, particularly boys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine the influence of anxious/depressed scores on cardiovascular risk factors throughout childhood., Methods: Data from the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study, a study of 2900 pregnancies recruited between 1989 and 1991, were used. Anxious-depressed scores (derived from the Childhood Behavior Checklist), body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure were measured at 5 (n=1681), 8 (n=1697), 10 (n=1575) and 14 (n=1386) years. At age 14 depressive symptom scores (Beck Depression Inventory for Youth), anxious-depressed scores (Youth Self-Report (YSR) and Teacher Report Form (TRF)) and fasting lipid, glucose and insulin were also available. Cross sectional and longitudinal analyses were conducted., Results: At age 14, girls with higher anxious-depressed scores had higher BMI (p≤ 0.005) and homeostasis model assessment-estimated insulin resistance (p≤ 0.0001). This equated to a difference of 0.6 kg/m(2) and 0.3 units in predicted BMI and HOMA-IR respectively (top 5% vs. score of zero). Boys with higher anxious-depressed scores had lower systolic blood pressure trajectories (p=0.024)., Conclusion: Depressive scores appear to have differing influences on BMI, homeostasis model assessment-estimated insulin resistance and systolic blood pressure in boys and girls. Paradoxically boys with higher anxious-depressed scores had lower blood pressure throughout childhood., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Methodological challenges such as confounding have made the study of the early determinants of mental health morbidity problematic. This study aims to address these challenges in investigating antenatal, perinatal and postnatal risk factors for the development of mental health problems in pre-school children in a cohort of Western Australian children., Methods: The Raine Study is a prospective cohort study of 2,868 live born children involving 2,979 pregnant women recruited at 18 weeks gestation. Children were followed up at age two and five years. The Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) was used to measure child mental health with clinical cut-points, including internalising (withdrawn/depressed) and externalising (aggressive/destructive) behaviours (n = 1707)., Results: Multinomial logistic regression analysis showed that the significant risk factors for behaviour problems at age two were the maternal experience of multiple stress events in pregnancy (OR = 1.20, 95% CI = 1.06, 1.37), smoking during pregnancy (OR = 1.30, 95% CI = 1.06, 1.59) and maternal ethnicity (OR = 3.34, 95% CI = 1.61, 6.96). At age five the experience of multiple stress events (OR = 1.17, 95% CI = 1.08, 1.27), cigarette smoking (OR = 1.19, 95% CI = 1.03, 1.37), male gender (OR = 1.43, 95% CI = 1.02, 2.00), breastfeeding for a shorter time (OR = .97, 95% CI = .94, .99) and multiple baby blues symptoms (OR = 1.08, 95% CI = 1.02, 1.14) were significant predictors of mental health problems., Conclusions: Early childhood mental health is significantly affected by prenatal events in addition to the child's later environment. Interventions targeting adverse prenatal, perinatal and postnatal influences can be expected to improve mental health outcomes for children in the early years.