Setting a research agenda for examining early risk for elevated cognitive disengagement syndrome symptoms using data from the ABCD cohort

TL;DR

This study explores early-life risk factors linked to cognitive disengagement syndrome symptoms in children using data from the ABCD cohort.

Contribution

The study identifies specific early-life risk factors associated with elevated cognitive disengagement syndrome symptoms in children.

Findings

Parental risk factors like unplanned pregnancy and teenage parenthood were linked to higher odds of CDS symptoms.

Pregnancy complications and prenatal substance exposure were associated with elevated CDS symptoms in children.

Late motor and speech milestones in children correlated with increased CDS symptom odds.

Abstract

Little research has examined early life risk for symptoms of cognitive disengagement syndrome (CDS) despite a well-established literature regarding co-occurring outcomes (e.g., attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder). The current study estimated bivariate associations between early life risk factors and CDS in a large and representative sample of U.S. children.

We conducted secondary analyses of baseline data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study (N = 8,096 children, 9–10 years old). Birthing parents reported early life risk factors on a developmental history questionnaire, including parental, prenatal, delivery and birth, and developmental milestone information. They also completed the Child Behavior Checklist, which includes a CDS subscale that was dichotomized to estimate the odds of elevated CDS symptoms (i.e., T-score > 70) in children related to risk indices.

We observed significantly elevated odds of CDS related to parental risk factors (i.e., unplanned pregnancy, pregnancy awareness after 6 weeks, teenage parenthood), birthing parent illnesses in pregnancy (i.e., severe nausea, proteinuria, pre-eclampsia/toxemia, severe anemia, urinary tract infection), pregnancy complications (i.e., bleeding), prenatal substance exposures (i.e., prescription medication, tobacco, illicit drugs), delivery and birth risk factors (i.e., child blue at delivery, child not breathing, jaundice, incubation after delivery), and late motor and speech milestones in children.

Several early-life risk factors were associated with elevated odds of CDS at ages 9–10 years; study design prevents the determination of causality. Further investigation is warranted regarding early life origins of CDS with priority given to risk indices that have upstream commonalities (i.e., that restrict fetal growth, nutrients, and oxygen).

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