External Publications Using GUI Data
Authors | Year | Title | Link | Journal/Book ↑ | Abstract |
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McNamara, E., Murray, A., Williams, J. | 2019 | Study Profile: Growing Up in Ireland | Open | Longitudinal and Life Course Studies | |
Growing Up in Ireland (GUI) is a two-cohort, longitudinal study of children and young people. The study aims to describe the health and development of Irish children across a range of topics; these include physical and mental health, family socio-demographic status, education, and the child’s behaviour, attitudes and key relationships. The study has been collecting data since 2007, beginning with a child cohort at nine years old (n = 8,568) and then an infant cohort at nine months old (n = 11,134). These data provide researchers and policy makers with a unique analytical tool to explore the well-being of children in Ireland. This paper provides an overview of all the stages involved in the development of the study, from its inception, to the establishment of the study’s aims, objectives and design, the ongoing data collection and panel maintenance, and the many uses of GUI data today. | |||||
O'Keeffe, L.M., Kearney, P.M., Greene, R.A. | 2015 | Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System in Ireland: Methods and Response Rates | Open | Maternal and Child Health Journal | |
To describe response rates and characteristics associated with response to the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System study in Ireland (PRAMS Ireland). Using hospital discharge records of live births at a large, urban, obstetric hospital, a sampling frame of approximately 2,400 mother-infant pairs were used to alternately sample 1,200 women. Mothers’ information including name, address, parity, age and infant characteristics such as sex and gestational age at delivery were extracted from records. Modes of contact included an invitation letter with option to opt out of the study, three mail surveys, a reminder letter and text message reminder for remaining non-respondents. Sixty-one per cent of women responded to the PRAMS Ireland survey over a 133 day response period. Women aged <30, single women, multiparous women and women with a preterm delivery were less likely to respond. Women participating in PRAMS Ireland were similar to the national birth profile in 2011 which had a mean age of 32, were 40 % primiparous, 33 % single or never married and had a 28 % caesarean section rate. Survey and protocol changes are required to increase response rates above recommended Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) thresholds of 65 % within the recommended 90 day data collection cycle. Additional efforts such as stratification and over-sampling are required to increase representativeness among hard to reach groups such as younger, single and multiparous women before expanding the project to an ongoing, national surveillance system in Ireland. | |||||
McCrory C., Murray, A. | 2013 | The effect of breastfeeding on neuro-development in infancy. | Open | Maternal and Child Health Journal | |
The present study examines whether breastfeeding is associated with neuro-developmental advantages at 9 months of age on a standardised measure of infant development in a large cohort study of Irish children. It is hypothesised that if breast-milk confers an independent benefit, infants who were never breastfed will have reached fewer developmental milestones than those who were partially or exclusively breastfed, after controlling for putative confounding variables. Families with infants aged 9-months were recruited as part of a nationally representative sample for the birth cohort of the Growing Up in Ireland study (n = 11,134). Information was collected from mothers on breastfeeding practices, socio-demographic characteristics and developmental progress during a household interview. Parent-report items on development covered communication, gross motor, fine motor, problem solving and personal-social skills. Analysis of pass/fail status in each developmental domain using binary logistic regression showed a positive effect of any breastfeeding on gross motor, fine motor, problem solving and personal-social skills (but not communication) and these remained after adjustment for a range of confounding variables. There was, however, little evidence of a dose–response effect or advantage of exclusive over partial breastfeeding. A clear advantage of breastfeeding on infant development was demonstrated. However, the lack of a dose–response association on pass rates suggests that the breastfeeding effect may be confounded by other unobserved factors or that there is a critical threshold during which time the effect of breast milk may be particularly salient for bolstering brain development. | |||||
Maher, G.M., O'Keefe, G.W., O'Keefe, L.M., Matvienko-Sikar, K., Dalman, C., Kearney, P.M., McCarthy, F.P. & Khashan, A.S. | 2020 | The Association Between Preeclampsia and Childhood Development and Behavioural Outcomes | Open | Maternal and Child Health Journal | |
Objectives Methods Results Conclusions for Practice | |||||
Hughes, A., Gallagher, S., Hannigan, A. | 2015 | A Cluster Analysis of Reported Sleeping Patterns of 9-Month Old Infants and the Association with Maternal Health: Results from a Population Based Cohort Study. | Open | Maternal and Child Health Journal | |
The aim of this study was to identify, using cluster analysis, novel sleep phenotypes in a population based cohort of infants, and to explore the associations between infant sleep profiles and their mothers’ health and well-being. 11,134 mothers of 9-month old infants were interviewed as part of the Growing Up in Ireland National Longitudinal study and reported on their health and infant’s sleep patterns. 16 infant sleep variables were recorded together with measures of parental stress, depression, health and well-being. Multiple iterations of a two-step hierarchical cluster analysis were carried out to identify the optimum number of clusters and the subset of parental-reported sleep variables required to identify distinct sleep profiles. Four distinct sleep profiles were identified based on the following variables; (1) infant sleep duration at night, (2) parental sleep duration, (3) does baby wake during night (yes, no)? (4) Usual sleep location for most of the night and, (5) parental reporting of problem infant sleep patterns. This identified two less favorable profiles with both infants and mothers sleeping less and where mothers are more likely to report their infants’ sleep patterns as problematic. Mothers of infants belonging to these sleep profiles were more likely to have higher levels of stress, depressive symptoms, and poorer self-reported health than other sleep profiles. Breastfeeding was associated with both groups and rates were highest in a group of infants that were more likely to co-sleep with their parents and have diverse ethnic backgrounds. This study demonstrates, for the first time, two infant sleep profiles with distinct phenotypical frameworks that are significantly associated with maternal stress, depression, and poorer self-report of health. | |||||
O’Driscoll, D.J., Kiely, E., O’Keeffe, L.M., Khashan, A.S. | 2023 | Poverty trajectories and child and mother wellbeing outcomes in Ireland: findings from an Irish prospective cohort | Open | MedRXiv | |
Background Objective Methods Results Conclusions What is already known on this subject? What this study adds? How this study might affect research, practice or policy? | |||||
Banks J., McCoy S. | 2011 | A Study on the Prevalence of Special Educational Needs | Open | National Council for Special Education Research, Report No.9 | |
The increasing emphasis on inclusive education internationally has broadened the definition of special educational needs (SEN) and greatly affected national prevalence estimates. In line with these international trends, in Ireland the EPSEN Act (2004) defines SEN as any “restriction in the capacity of a person to participate in or benefit from education”. Taking this broad definition, this study draws on the first longitudinal study of children in Ireland, Growing Up in Ireland, to generate a new estimate of SEN prevalence among Irish nine-year-old children. The analysis combines detailed information, collected from parents and teachers, encompassing diverse types of SEN, including physical disabilities, speech impairments, learning disabilities and emotional/behavioural difficulties. In doing so, the study establishes a SEN prevalence rate of 25 per cent among children in the mid-primary years, a rate very much in line with recent research in other European contexts. Additionally, the study details the diversity of data collected on children and young people with SEN and disabilities across agencies and government departments, the potential value of this data and directions for improved learner databases. | |||||
Steiman De Visser, H., Dufault, B., Brunton, N.N., McGavock, J. | 2024 | Early life adversity and obesity risk in adolescence: a 9-year population-based prospective cohort study | Open | Nature | |
Background Methods Results Conclusions Impact
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Cosgrove, J., McKeown, C., Travers, J., Lysaght, Z., Ní Bhroin, O., Archer, P. | 2014 | Educational Experiences and Outcomes for Children with Special Educational Needs: A Secondary Analysis of Data from the Growing Up in Ireland Study (NCSE Research Report No. 17). | Open | NCSE Research Report No.17 | |
Cosgrove, J., McKeown, C., Travers, J., Lysaght, Z., Ní Bhroin, O., Archer, P. | 2018 | Educational Experiences and Outcomes for Children with Special Educational Needs, Phase 2 from age 9-13: A Secondary Analysis of Data from the Growing Up in Ireland Study. (NCSE Research Report No. 25). | Open | NCSE Research Report No.25 | |
Dominguez Castro, P., Layte, R., Kearney, J. | 2014 | Ethnic variation in breastfeeding and complimentary feeding in the Republic of Ireland. | Open | Nutrients. | |
Early nutrition plays a pivotal role in long-term health. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months of life, with the gradual introduction of solids after this period. However, studies in the Republic of Ireland (ROI) have shown poor compliance with guidelines. The ROI continues to have one of the lowest breastfeeding rates worldwide. Our objective was to analyse differences in breastfeeding and complimentary feeding behaviours between Irish and non-Irish mothers residing in the ROI, as well as the role of acculturation on these behaviours, using the national longitudinal study, Growing Up in Ireland (GUI). Mothers (n = 11,134) residing in the ROI were interviewed when their infants were nine months of age. The percentage of Irish mothers who initiated breastfeeding was 49.5%, as opposed to 88.1% among the non-Irish cohort (p < 0.001). Breastfeeding initiation reduced from 89.4% of non-Irish mothers who had arrived within the last year to five years ago to 67.5% for those who had arrived 11 to >20 years ago (p < 0.001). Our results indicate that cultural differences are an important factor in shaping patterns of infant feeding in the ROI. Reviewing existing support and education policies for parents is required to achieve the implementation of desirable infant feeding practices. Keywords: infant feeding; breastfeeding; complimentary feeding; acculturation | |||||
Dempsey, C., Devine, R.T., Symonds, J.E., Sloan, S., Hughes, C. | 2023 | Compensatory and Cumulative: Mother, Father and Teacher-Child Relationships Interact to Predict School Adjustment and Achievement | Open | OSF Preprints | |
Children’s parent and teacher relationships contribute to school adjustment and achievement, yet few studies have examined interactions between these relationships, particularly for father-child relationships. Using the Growing Up in Ireland birth cohort (N = 7,507 children, 50.3% male), we examined child-adult relationship quality – rated by mothers and fathers at age 3 and teachers at age 5 – as predictors of behavioural adjustment (rated by teachers) and academic achievement (formal reading assessments and self-reported academic self-concepts) at age 9. Controlling for prior levels of problem behaviours, verbal ability, and family SES, results indicated small and comparable independent effects of children’s parent and teacher relationships on school adjustment and achievement. For mothers and teachers, moderation analyses showed a cumulative risk pattern for conflictual relationships and a compensatory pattern for close relationships. Children are likely to benefit from improving closeness and reducing conflict in adult-child relationships and interventions that involve mothers, fathers, and teachers. | |||||
Casey, A., Layte, R., Lyons, S., Silles, M. | 2012 | Home computer use and academic performance of nine-year-olds | Open | Oxford Review of Education | |
A recent rise in home computer ownership has seen a growing number of children using computers and accessing the internet from a younger age. This paper examines the link between children’s home computing and their academic performance in the areas of reading and mathematics. Data from the nine-year-old cohort of the Growing Up in Ireland survey is adopted for this study. The survey reveals that searching for information is a more popular activity among the children than communicating online. Through regression analysis we find that using a computer is positively and significantly associated with children’s reading and mathematics scores in standardised tests. This result holds after controlling for multiple determinants of school performance. In addition, we investigate the effects of using various applications on the computer. Surfing the internet for fun, doing projects for school and emailing are associated with higher reading and maths test scores, while those who are permitted to use the computer unsupervised tend to have higher maths test scores. Instant messaging and downloading music or watching movies are negatively associated with both reading and maths scores. The results indicate that some forms of early computer use have significant associations with academic performance among children in primary school, although we could not establish the direction of causation definitively. Keywords: home computer use, elementary education, academic performance | |||||
Mihut, G., McCoy, S., Maitre, B. | 2021 | A capability approach to understanding academic and socio-emotional outcomes of students with special educational needs in Ireland | Open | Oxford Review of Education | |
Using data from Ireland’s national longitudinal study of children, this paper employs a capabilities approach to disability to understand how individual characteristics as well as home and school environmental factors at age 9 relate to academic and socio-emotional outcomes of students with special educational needs (SEN) at age 17. Results suggest that young people with SEN register both lower average scores and make less academic progress between the age of 9 and their national lower secondary examination, with the exception of young people with a physical SEN. Both home and school environmental factors at 9 years have long-term associations with the academic outcomes of young people with SEN, after controlling for individual characteristics and prior academic achievement. Home and school environmental factors had less consistent associations with the socio-emotional outcomes of young people with SEN. By using rigorous nationally representative longitudinal data, this paper offers a more holistic understanding of the development of young people with SEN. The paper also provides important evidence that a more inclusive approach for supporting students with additional needs, their parents, and their schools is needed. Keywords | |||||
McCoy, S., Byrne, D., O’Connor, P. | 2022 | Gender stereotyping in mothers’ and teachers’ perceptions of boys’ and girls’ mathematics performance in Ireland | Open | Oxford Review of Education | |
Parents’ and teachers’ beliefs and evaluations of young people are important. Using a feminist institutionalist perspective, and drawing on rich data from one in seven nine-year-old children in Ireland, this paper examines mothers’ (who make up the overwhelming majority of primary care-givers) and teachers’ perceptions of boys’ and girls’ mathematics performance. The evidence shows that girls’ mathematics performance is underestimated by both relative to boys’. Mother’s gender bias was evident among high performing children, at all levels of children’s academic self-concept, and among mothers with at least third level education. While the judgements reflect children’s actual performance and engagement, a notable gender gap remains. It is suggested that the results reflect gender stereotypes: overestimating boys’ and underestimating girls’ mathematics achievements. The article indicates the importance of the informal dimension of institutions and the part played by women in the effective devaluation of girls by endorsing gendered stereotypes. Women teachers are less likely to rate children highly in mathematics, taking account of performance: arguably reflecting their own lack of confidence in mathematics assessment. The findings raise concerns for girls’ futures since mathematics is seen as an indicator of intelligence. Given the move towards teacher-assessed grading during COVID-19, understanding, and challenging, gender-stereotyping is pressing. | |||||
McCrory, C., McNally, S. | 2012 | The effect of pregnancy intention on maternal prenatal behaviours and parent and child health: results of an Irish cohort study. | Open | Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology | |
Background Methods Results Conclusions | |||||
McCrory, C., Leahy, S., Robeiro, AL., Fraga, S., Barros, H., Avendano, M., Vineis, P., Layte, R. | 2019 | Maternal education inequalities in measured body mass index trajectories in three European countries | Open | Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology | |
Background Objective Methods Results Conclusions | |||||
Bowe, A.K., Lightbody, G., O’Boyle, D.S., Staines, A., Murray, D.M. | 2024 | Predicting low cognitive ability at age 5 years using perinatal data and machine learning | Open | Pediatric Research | |
Background Methods Results Conclusions Impact | |||||
Girard, L.C., Doyle, O., Tremblay, R.E. | 2017 | Breastfeeding, cognitive and noncognitive development in early childhood: a population study. | Open | Pediatrics | |
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES METHODS RESULTS CONCLUSIONS | |||||
Layte, R., McCrory, C. | 2012 | Testing competing models of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire's (SDQ's) factor structure for the parent-informant instrument | Open | Personality and Individual Differences | |
The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is a brief 25-item instrument that has been widely employed in clinical and epidemiological studies to assess children’s psychological adjustment. Despite its widespread application in child and adolescent research, concerns have been expressed regarding the construct validity of the instrument and whether it might be tainted by a method factor that may undermine its utility as a diagnostic tool. We employed a confirmatory factor analytic approach to compare the goodness of fit of four competing models suggested by the extant literature for the parent-informant version of the questionnaire using data for 8514 nine-year-old children participating in the Growing Up in Ireland Study – a large population based cohort study in the Republic of Ireland. While analysis of the data provided support for the traditional five-factor conceptualisation of the instrument, a six-factor model which incorporated a method factor was found to fit the data marginally better. Nevertheless, we conclude that the existence of method effects does not present any great threat to the structural validity of the instrument taking account of patterns in the data and model parsimony. |