Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gvvz8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T00:13:33.509Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Parental suicide attempt and offspring educational attainment during adolescence in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) birth cohort

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 April 2016

G. Geulayov ,
C. Metcalfe  and
D. Gunnell
G. Geulayov*
Affiliation:
School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
C. Metcalfe
Affiliation:
School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
D. Gunnell
Affiliation:
School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
*
*Address for correspondence: G. Geulayov, Ph.D., Department of Psychiatry, Centre for Suicide Research, Warneford Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7JX, UK. (Email: [email protected])
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Background

Few studies have investigated the impact of parental suicide attempt (SA) on offspring outcomes other than mental health. We investigated the association of parental SA with offspring educational attainment in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC).

Method

Parental SA was prospectively recorded from pregnancy until the study children were 11 years old. National school test results (ages 11–16 years) were obtained by record linkage. Multilevel regression models quantified the association between parental SA and offspring outcomes.

Results

Data were available for 6667 mother–child and 3054 father–child pairs. Adolescents whose mothers had attempted suicide were less likely than their peers to achieve the expected educational level by age 14 years [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 0.63, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.41–0.95] in models controlling for relevant confounders, including parental education and depression. At age 16 years, adolescents whose mothers had attempted suicide were less likely to obtain the expected educational level (five or more qualifications at grade A*–C) (aOR 0.66, 95% CI 0.43–1.00) in models controlling for relevant confounders and parental education; however, after additionally controlling for maternal depression the results were consistent with chance (aOR 0.74, 95% CI 0.48–1.13). Findings in relation to paternal SA were consistent with those of maternal SA but power was limited due to lower response rate amongst fathers.

Conclusions

Maternal SA was associated with diminished educational performance at age 14 years. Educational attainment during adolescence can have substantial effect on future opportunities and well-being and these offspring may benefit from interventions.

Keywords

Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Childrenbirth cohortschild academic performancelongitudinal studiesparental self-harm
Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 46 , Issue 10 , July 2016 , pp. 2097 - 2107
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Agid, O, Shapira, B, Zislin, J, Ritsner, M, Hanin, B, Murad, H, Troudart, T, Bloch, M, Heresco-Levy, U, Lerer, B (1999). Environment and vulnerability to major psychiatric illness: a case control study of early parental loss in major depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Molecular Psychiatry 4, 163–172.Google Scholar
Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) (2014). Data Dictionary (http://www.bris.ac.uk/alspac/researchers/data-access/data-dictionary/). Accessed 21 September 2014.Google Scholar
Berg, L, Rostila, M, Saarela, J, Hjern, A (2014). Parental death during childhood and subsequent school performance. Pediatrics 133, 682–689.Google Scholar
Bolton, JM, Belik, SL, Enns, MW, Cox, BJ, Sareen, J (2008). Exploring the correlates of suicide attempts among individuals with major depressive disorder: findings from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry 69, 1139–1149.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Boyd, A, Golding, J, Macleod, J, Lawlor, DA, Fraser, A, Henderson, J, Molloy, L, Ness, A, Ring, S, Davey Smith, G (2013). Cohort profile: the ‘Children of the 90s’ – the index offspring of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. International Journal of Epidemiology 42, 111–127.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brent, DA, Melhem, NM, Masten, AS, Porta, G, Payne, MW (2012). Longitudinal effects of parental bereavement on adolescent developmental competence. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology 41, 778–791.Google Scholar
Burrows, S, Laflamme, L (2010). Socioeconomic disparities and attempted suicide: state of knowledge and implications for research and prevention. International Journal of Injury Control and Safety Promotion 17, 23–40.Google Scholar
Clark, SE, Goldney, RD (2000). The impact of suicide on relatives and friends. In The International Handbook of Suicide and Attempted Suicide (ed. Hawton, K. and van Heeringen, K.), pp. 467–484. John Wiley and Sons Ltd: Chichester.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Department of Education (2005). Key Stage 3 Test Results (http://education.gov.uk/schools/performance/archive/ks3_05/k4.shtml). Accessed 11 July 2013.Google Scholar
Department of Education (2010). Results for Pupils at the End of Key Stage 4 (http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/archive/schools_10/s5.shtml). Accessed 11 July 2013.Google Scholar
Dubow, EF, Boxer, P, Huesmann, LR (2009). Long-term effects of parents’ education on children's educational and occupational success mediation by family interactions, child aggression, and teenage aspirations. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly – Journal of Developmental Psychology 55, 224–249.Google Scholar
Evans, J, Melotti, R, Heron, J, Ramchandani, P, Wiles, N, Murray, L, Stein, A (2012). The timing of maternal depressive symptoms and child cognitive development: a longitudinal study. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 53, 632–640.Google Scholar
Fraser, A, Macdonald-Wallis, C, Tilling, K, Boyd, A, Golding, J, Davey Smith, G, Henderson, J, Macleod, J, Molloy, L, Ness, A, Ring, S, Nelson, SM, Lawlor, DA (2013). Cohort profile: the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children: ALSPAC mothers cohort. International Journal of Epidemiology 42, 97–110.Google Scholar
Garssen, J, Deerenberg, I, Mackenbach, JP, Kerkhof, A, Kunst, AE (2011). Familial risk of early suicide: variations by age and sex of children and parents. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior 41, 585–593.Google Scholar
Geulayov, G, Gunnell, D, Holmen, TL, Metcalfe, C (2012). The association of parental fatal and non-fatal suicidal behaviour with offspring suicidal behaviour and depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychological Medicine 42, 1567–1580.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Geulayov, G, Metcalfe, C, Heron, J, Kidger, J, Gunnell, D (2014). Parental suicide attempt and offspring self-harm and suicidal thoughts: results from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) birth cohort. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 53, 509–517.e2.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gibson, J, McKenzie-McHarg, K, Shakespeare, J, Price, J, Gray, R (2009). A systematic review of studies validating the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale in antepartum and postpartum women. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica 119, 350–364.Google Scholar
Golding, J, Pembrey, M, Jones, R (2001). ALSPAC – the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. I. Study methodology. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 15, 74–87.Google Scholar
Goodwin, RD, Beautrais, AL, Fergusson, DM (2004). Familial transmission of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts: evidence from a general population sample. Psychiatry Research 126, 159–165.Google Scholar
Grace, SL, Evindar, A, Stewart, DE (2003). The effect of postpartum depression on child cognitive development and behavior: a review and critical analysis of the literature. Archives of Women's Mental Health 6, 263–274.Google Scholar
Gravseth, HM, Mehlum, L, Bjerkedal, T, Kristensen, P (2010). Suicide in young Norwegians in a life course perspective: population-based cohort study. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 64, 407–412.Google Scholar
Hay, DF, Pawlby, S, Sharp, D, Asten, P, Mills, A, Kumar, R (2001). Intellectual problems shown by 1-year-old children whose mothers had postnatal depression. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 42, 871–889.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hay, DF, Pawlby, S, Waters, CS, Sharp, D (2008). Antepartum and postpartum exposure to maternal depression: different effects on different adolescent outcomes. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 49, 1079–1088.Google Scholar
Kessler, RC, Foster, CL, Saunders, WB, Stang, PE (1995). Social consequences of psychiatric disorders, I: Educational attainment. American Journal of Psychiatry 152, 1026–1032.Google ScholarPubMed
Kuramoto, SJ, Runeson, B, Stuart, EA, Lichtenstein, P, Wilcox, HC (2013). Time to hospitalization for suicide attempt by the timing of parental suicide during offspring early development. JAMA Psychiatry 70, 149–157.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mittendorfer-Rutz, E, Rasmussen, F, Wasserman, D (2008). Familial clustering of suicidal behaviour and psychopathology in young suicide attempters. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 43, 28–36.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mortensen, PB, Pedersen, CB, Melbye, M, Mors, O, Ewald, H (2003). Individual and familial risk factors for bipolar affective disorders in Denmark. Archives of General Psychiatry 60, 1209–1215.Google Scholar
Murray, L, Arteche, A, Fearon, P, Halligan, S, Croudace, T, Cooper, P (2010). The effects of maternal postnatal depression and child sex on academic performance at age 16 years: a developmental approach. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 51, 1150–1159.Google Scholar
Ness, AR (2004). The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) – a resource for the study of the environmental determinants of childhood obesity. European Journal of Endocrinology 151 (Suppl. 3), U141–U149.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ou, SR, Reynolds, AJ (2008). Predictors of educational attainment in the Chicago Longitudinal Study. School Psychology Quarterly 23, 199–229.Google Scholar
Petrides, KV, Frederickson, N, Furnham, A (2004). The role of trait emotional intelligence in academic performance and deviant behavior at school. Personality and Individual Differences 36, 277–293.Google Scholar
Pfeffer, CR (2000). Children bereaved after suicide: the need for a clinical and research agenda. Lifesavers: The Quarterly Newsletter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention 12, 6–7.Google Scholar
Rothon, C, Head, J, Clark, C, Klineberg, E, Cattell, V, Stansfeld, S (2009). The impact of psychological distress on the educational achievement of adolescents at the end of compulsory education. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 44, 421–427.Google Scholar
Shepherd, DM, Barraclough, BM (1976). The aftermath of parental suicide for children. British Journal of Psychiatry 129, 267–276.Google Scholar
Shute, VJ, Hansen, EG, Underwood, JS, Razzouk, R (2011). A review of the relationship between parental involvement and secondary school students’ academic achievement. Education Research International 2011, article ID 915326.Google Scholar
Sorensen, HJ, Mortensen, EL, Wang, AG, Juel, K, Silverton, L, Mednick, SA (2009). Suicide and mental illness in parents and risk of suicide in offspring: a birth cohort study. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 44, 748–751.Google Scholar
StataCorp (2013). Stata Statistical Software. StataCorp LP: College Station, TX.Google Scholar
Streeck-Fischer, A, van der Kolk, BA (2000). Down will come baby, cradle and all: diagnostic and therapeutic implications of chronic trauma on child development. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 34, 903–918.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tsuchiya, KJ, Agerbo, E, Mortensen, PB (2005). Parental death and bipolar disorder: a robust association was found in early maternal suicide. Journal of Affective Disorders 86, 151–159.Google Scholar
Wilcox, HC, Kuramoto, SJ, Lichtenstein, P, Langstrom, N, Brent, DA, Runeson, B (2010). Psychiatric morbidity, violent crime, and suicide among children and adolescents exposed to parental death. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 49, 514–523.Google Scholar
World Health Organization (2014). Suicide prevention (SUPRE) (http://www.who.int/mental_health/prevention/suicide/suicideprevent/en/). Accessed March 2014.Google Scholar