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Vitamin D sufficiency attenuates the effect of early social adversity on child antisocial behavior

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 March 2021

Olivia Choy Open the ORCID record for Olivia Choy [Opens in a new window]  and
Adrian Raine
Olivia Choy*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Nanyang Technological University, 48 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639818, Singapore
Adrian Raine
Affiliation:
Departments of Criminology, Psychiatry, and Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, McNeil Building, 3718 Locust Walk, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
*
Author for correspondence: Olivia Choy, E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Background

Vitamin D insufficiency and child antisocial behavior are public health concerns. It is unknown whether vitamin D plays a role in antisocial outcomes. This study examines whether higher levels of vitamin D can act as a protective factor against antisocial behavior for children who are exposed to early social adversity.

Methods

In a community sample of 300 children aged 11–12 years (151 females, 149 males), serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] were assessed alongside early social adversity, and both parent and child-reported antisocial behavior.

Results

Vitamin D moderated the association between early social adversity and multiple antisocial outcomes. Higher social adversity was associated with greater antisocial behavior among vitamin D-insufficient [25(OH)D < 30 ng/mL], but not vitamin D-sufficient children [25(OH)D ⩾ 30 ng/mL], after adjusting for other variables. Results from child reports of antisocial behavior were replicated with parent reports, providing support for the robustness of the findings. At serum 25(OH)D concentrations above 27.16–30.69 ng/mL (close to 30 ng/mL, the recommended optimal vitamin D level for pediatric populations), the effect of social adversity on antisocial behavior outcomes was nullified.

Conclusions

To our knowledge, this study is the first to document that a nutritional factor, vitamin D, can potentially confer resilience to antisocial behavior. Our findings in a pediatric population suggest a possible role of vitamin D supplementation in interventions to reduce antisocial behavior, which may be further investigated in future randomized controlled trials.

Keywords

aggressionantisocial behaviorprotective factorsresiliencesocial adversityvitamin D
Type
Original Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 52 , Issue 16 , December 2022 , pp. 4106 - 4115
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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