Early-life factors, adversity and mental health outcomes
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Do antenatal factors influence susceptibility to mental ill-health in those exposed to early life adversity? Part of a comprehensive investigation into mental ill-health & self-harm in Northern Ireland (NI).
IRAS ID
335671
Contact name
Aideen Maguire
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Queen's University Belfast
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 11 months, 29 days
Research summary
Exposure to early childhood adversity is a leading preventable risk factor for mental illness. It has long been established that those experiencing adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), such as abuse and parental neglect, are at an increased risk of developing poor mental health outcomes later in life, including depression, self-harm and suicide.
However, the mechanisms for how early life adversity predisposes to poor mental health are not fully understood, and a critical unanswered question is why some maltreated individuals develop psychopathology while others do not. This suggests that some individuals may have an inherent vulnerability that becomes apparent upon exposure to trauma. Such vulnerability may originate during development in the womb. This is known as the foetal origins of adult disease (aka the Barker hypothesis) which posits that the intrauterine environment is critical in influencing foetal development during sensitive growth periods. In particular, it has been suggested that suboptimal intrauterine conditions may lead to the impaired programming of the neural systems responsible for emotional regulation and acute stress responses, thereby making individuals less resilient to future adversities. The current study therefore posits that those born pre-term/low birthweight may be more susceptible to developing mental ill-health following exposure to ACEs when compared with those born within the normal developmental ranges.
This data-linkage project will identify a birth cohort from the Child Health System (CHS), capturing all individuals born in Northern Ireland (NI) between 1990-1999, with linked data from the Social Services Client Administration and Retrieval Environment (SOSCARE), Northern Ireland Registry of Self-Harm (NIRSH), prescription medication data, and death records to create the UK’s first population-wide study to investigate whether poor intrauterine development increases susceptibility to a range of poor mental health outcomes following exposure to ACEs, as indicated by contact with social services.
REC name
East Midlands - Leicester Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/EM/0072
Date of REC Opinion
18 Mar 2024
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion