External Publications Using GUI Data
Authors ↑ | Year | Title | Link | Journal/Book | Abstract |
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Hadfield, K., Nixon, E. | 2012 | Comparison of relationship dynamics within stepmother and stepfather families in Ireland | Open | The Irish Journal of Psychology | |
Although an increasing proportion of people in Ireland are living in stepfamilies, little research has explored the dynamics within these families. Drawing on data from the Growing Up in Ireland (GUI) study (9-year-old cohort), this paper aims to compare family processes within stepmother (n=89) and stepfather families (n=295). No stepfathers were primary caregivers to their stepchild(ren), whereas stepmothers tended to assume this role. Stepmothers were less romantically happy than either stepfathers or biological mothers in stepfather families and experienced more interparental conflict than stepfathers. They also had less close and more conflicted relationships with their stepchild(ren) than mothers in stepfather families. These findings are in line with previous research and point to the applicability of international research to stepfamilies in Ireland. The findings suggest that stepmother families may face particular challenges and may benefit from parenting and relationship support. | |||||
Hadfield, K., Nixon, E. | 2013 | Including those that exclude themselves: Comparisons of self-identifying and non-self-identifying stepfamilies. | Open | Journal of Family Studies. | |
Previous research has tended to classify stepfamilies based on self-report of their familial relationships. However, some stepfamily members do not identify as being part of a stepfamily, leading to the exclusion of certain stepfamilies from stepfamily research. Using data from the first national cohort study of children in Ireland, the aim of this study was to compare the characteristics of self-identifying stepfamilies with those of non-self-identifying stepfamilies, a group about which little is known. The analysis revealed that in approximately 10% of stepfamilies, neither parent declared their stepfamily status (n = 34, N = 288 stepfamilies). No differences emerged between self-identifying and non-self-identifying stepfamilies in the quality of the parent–child or spousal relationships. Non-self-identifying stepfamilies were less likely to be complex, and were more likely to be stepmother and simple stepfamilies than self-identifying stepfamilies. These findings suggest that non-self-identifying stepfamilies constitute a significant minority of stepfamilies who may exhibit unique structural characteristics. Keywords: stepfamily; family relationships; identity; stepchildren; stepparents; membership status | |||||
Hadfield, K., O'Brien, F. K., & Gerow, A. | 2017 | Is level of prematurity a risk/plasticity factor at three years of age? | Open | Infant Behaviour and Development | |
Children born preterm have poorer outcomes than children born full-term, but the caregiving environment can ameliorate some of these differences. Recent research has proposed that preterm birth may be a plasticity factor, leading to better outcomes for preterm than full-term infants in higher quality environments. This analysis uses data from two waves of an Irish study of children (at 9 months and 3 years of age, n = 11,134 children) and their caregivers (n = 11,132 mothers, n = 9998 fathers) to investigate differences in how caregiving affects social, cognitive, and motor skills between full-term, late preterm, and very preterm children. Results indicate that parental emotional distress and quality of attachment are important for child outcomes. Both being born very preterm and late preterm continue to be risk factors for poorer outcomes at 3 years of age. Only fathers’ emotional distress significantly moderated the effect of prematurity on infants’ cognitive and social outcomes—no other interactions between prematurity and environment were significant. These interactions were somewhat in line with diathesis stress, but the effect sizes were too small to provide strong support for this model. There is no evidence that preterm birth is a plasticity factor. | |||||
Hannan, C., Halpin, B. | 2014 | The Influence of Family Structure on Child Outcomes: Evidence for Ireland | Open | Economic And Social Review | |
A large body of international literature has documented a correlation between nontraditional family structure and poorer child outcomes, yet researchers continue to disagree as to whether the association represents a true causal effect. This article extends this literature by employing propensity score matching using the first wave of data from the Growing up in Ireland child cohort study. We argue that the Irish case is of particular interest given the highly selective nature of non-marriage. We find that, on average, non-marriage has negative effects on a child educational development at age 9 but the effects are smaller in relation to health outcomes and the child’s self-concept. However, selection effects account for a non-trivial proportion of the differences in child outcomes across lone-mother and cohabiting families although hidden bias remains an important issue. This has important implications for policies which promote marriage as the key to child development as it appears that much of the benefits of marriage are not related to marriage per se but to the socio-economic background of mothers. | |||||
Hannan, C., Halpin, B., Coleman, C. | 2013 | Growing up in a One-Parent Family | Open | Family Support Agency | |
The purpose of this report is to investigate the known correlation between non-traditional family structures and poor outcomes for children. Discussions of this topic often focus on the distinction between two-parent families and one-parent families but this distinction can be misleading. In the Irish case, the crucial distinction is between children raised by parents who are married and children raised by a lone-parent who has never been married. The focal point here is non-marriage. This is important since non-marriage appears to be highly selective because the least privileged groups in Irish society are more likely to have children outside of marriage and at a relatively early age. This argument suggests that selection bias accounts for much of the association between family structure and child outcome i.e. growing up in a non-traditional family has little ‘direct’ or ‘causal’ effect on a child’s outcome. A large body of literature exists which documents a correlation between non-traditional family structure and poorer child development but researchers disagree as to whether this association represents a true causal effect. The primary objective of the current study, therefore, is to test this selection argument and to examine the extent to which selection effects can account for differences in child wellbeing in various family types. | |||||
Healy, C., Coughlan, H., Clarke, M., Kelleher, I., Cannon, M. | 2020 | What mediates the longitudinal relationship between psychotic experiences and psychopathology? | Open | Journal of Abnormal Psychology | |
Psychotic experiences (PEs) are common in early adolescence and are associated with nonpsychotic psychopathology. However, not all adolescents with PEs have subsequent psychopathology, and vice versa. To date, factors mediating the relationship between PEs and psychopathology have been understudied. The aims of this study were to investigate the bidirectional relationship between PEs and psychopathology in adolescence and to investigate potentially malleable mediators of these relationships. Data from 2 waves (age 13 and 17 years) of Cohort ’98 of the Growing Up in Ireland study were examined (n = 6,206). Using KHB pathway decomposition, we investigated the following as potential mediators of the relationship between psychopathology and PEs: parent-child relationship (conflict and positive), self-concept, and child-peer relationship (alienation and trust). Supplementary counterfactual mediation and sensitivity analyses were conducted. Early adolescents with psychopathology had twofold increased odds of late adolescent PEs (internalizing problems: odds ratio [OR] = 2.03, 95% confidence interval [CI; 1.56, 2.62]; externalizing problems: OR = 1.99, CI [1.51, 2.60]). Parent-child conflict explained between 23% and 34% of the associations between internalizing and externalizing problems and subsequent PEs. Early adolescents with PEs had increased odds of late adolescent psychopathology (internalizing problems: OR = 2.01, CI [1.61, 2.50]; externalizing problems: OR = 1.70, CI [1.25, 2.31]). Self-concept alone accounted for 52% of the relationship between PEs and subsequent internalizing problems. There is a bidirectional heterotypic relationship between psychopathology and PEs. Parent-child conflict and self-concept are important characteristics that mediate a proportion of the relationship between PEs and psychopathology. Interventions targeting parent-child conflict in the context of psychopathology and self-concept in the context of PEs may assist in reducing the incidence of poorer outcomes. | |||||
Healy, C., Coughlan, H., Williams, J., Clarke, M., Kelleher, I., Cannon, M. | 2019 | Changes in the self-concept and risk of psychotic experiences in adolescence: a longitudinal population based cohort study | Open | Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry | |
Background We aimed to investigate: (a) the relationship between child and adolescent self-concept and adolescent PEs; and (b) whether changes in self-concept between childhood and adolescence were associated with risk of adolescent PEs. Method Results Conclusions | |||||
Healy, C., Eaton, A., Cotter, I., Carter, E., Dhondt, N., Cannon, M. | 2021 | Mediators of the longitudinal relationship between childhood adversity and late adolescent psychopathology | Open | Psychological Medicine | |
Background Methods Results Conclusions Keywords | |||||
Healy, S., Patterson, F., Williams, E., Lozano, A.J., Hanlon, A., Obrusnikova, I. | 2020 | Rethinking daily movement behaviours of children with autism spectrum disorder: meeting the 24-hour movement guidelines | Open | European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity | |
In an effort to promote optimal health in all children, 24-hour movement guidelines that provide specific recommendations for physical activity, screen-time, and sleep have been developed (≥ 1 hour of physical activity, ≤ 2 hours of screen-time, 9-11 hours of sleep). Children who meet the recommendations for these health behaviours are less likely to be obese than those who do not meet them. This study compared the degree to which children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and typically developing (TD) children met the newly developed 24-hour movement guidelines. A propensity-score matched sample of 72 children (36 children with ASD, 36 TD children) from the “Growing Up in Ireland” study was included in the analysis. Based on parents’ completion of time-use diaries, fewer children with ASD, compared to TD children, met the recommendations for screentime (58.3% vs. 80.6%, p=0.07, V=0.24) and physical activity (41.7% vs. 69.4%, p=0.03, V=0.28). Children with ASD were most likely to meet two guidelines (44.4%), whereas TD children most commonly met all three guidelines (55.6%). The findings highlight the breadth of health behaviours that require intervention among children with ASD. The current study suggests that examining the movement behaviours that constitute a 24-hour period for children with ASD may be useful to inform interventions to reduce their risk for sub-optimal health. Keywords: Physical activity; Screen-time; Sleep; Autistic; exercise; sedentary behaviour; health; overweight; obesity | |||||
Heinen, M., Murrin, C., Daly, L., et al. | 2014 | The Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI) in the Republic of Ireland: Findings from 2008, 2010 and 2012 | Open | The Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI) | |
The prevalence of obesity in children is rapidly rising, leading to many serious consequences worldwide. In 2005, the World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Office for Europe issued recommendations and guidelines for regular collection of data on weight, height, and waist and hip circumference in children worldwide in order to monitor prevalence trends of growth, overweight and obesity. The Department of Health and the Health Service Executive commissioned the National Nutrition Surveillance Centre, based at the School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Population Science in University College Dublin, to carry out this surveillance work in the Republic of Ireland. This report presents the findings from three waves of the WHO Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative survey in the Republic of Ireland in 2008, 2010 and 2012. In 2008, 163 randomly selected primary schools participated in this project and in the first round the protocol as set out by the WHO for participating countries was followed. The target age was children aged exactly 7 years. In the subsequent two waves, the same WHO protocol was followed and the same schools were contacted again and this time, as well as 7-year-olds, 9-year-olds were also selected for participation in the second round. In the third round, 7-year, 9-year, as well as 11-year-olds were included. This means that there are three cross-sectional surveys of 7-year-old children, two cross-sectional surveys of 9-year-olds and one cross-sectional comparison group of 7-, 9- and 11-year-old children. Using a unique identifier there are also two cohort groups of the same children followed on two separate occasions from ages 7 to 9 and ages 9 to 11, respectively. In this report, we also compare the data on 9-year-old children to the findings from the Growing Up in Ireland Cohort study. | |||||
Hoyne, C., Egan, S. M. | 2022 | ABCs and 123s: A large birth cohort study examining the role of the home learning environment in early cognitive development | Open | Journal of Experimental Child Psychology | |
The aim of this study was to examine the role of different types of home learning activities, such as reading, singing, painting, playing games, and letters and numbers (ABCs and 123 s), in the development of nonverbal reasoning skills in young children. Although much previous research has focused on the role of the home learning environment in the development of language and numeracy skills, few studies have explored other aspects of cognitive development such as nonverbal reasoning. The data were drawn from the Growing Up in Ireland study, a nationally representative longitudinal birth cohort study. We examined whether learning activities were associated with scores on standardized nonverbal reasoning and vocabulary tests of the British Ability Scales in a sample of 9793 3-year-old children. The regression models also controlled for other factors that potentially influence cognitive development such as the parent–child relationship and maternal education. The findings indicate that activities such as reading, games, and painting/drawing have a small but statistically significant association with nonverbal reasoning scores, as well as with vocabulary scores, even after controlling for other factors in the model. Teaching the alphabet or numbers did not make significant contributions to the model. The findings of the study highlight the importance of considering the role of different types of home learning activities, as well as other environmental factors, in different aspects of cognitive development. We consider the implications of the findings for theories of cognitive development and for supporting cognitive development in young children. | |||||
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. | |||||
Hyland, M., Layte, R., Lyons, S., McCoy, S., Silles, M. | 2015 | Are Classroom Internet Use and Academic Performance Higher after Government Broadband Subsidies to Primary Schools? | Open | The Economic and Social Review | |
Jabakhanji, S.B., Boland, F., Ward, M., Biesma, R. | 2018 | Body mass index changes in early childhood | Open | The Journal of Pediatrics | |
Objective Study design Results Conclusions Keywords | |||||
Katsantonis, I., Symonds, J. E. | 2023 | Population heterogeneity in developmental trajectories of internalising and externalising mental health symptoms in childhood: differential effects of parenting styles | Open | Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences, 32, e16. | |
Aims Method Results Conclusions | |||||
Katsantonis, I.G., Symonds, J.E., McLellan, R. | 2024 | Longitudinal relations between child emotional difficulties and parent-child closeness: a stability and malleability analysis using the STARTS model | Open | Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health | |
Background Methods Results Conclusions | |||||
Keane, E., Layte, R., Harrington, J., Kearney, P., Perry, I. | 2012 | Measured parental weight status and familial socio-economic status correlates with childhood overweight and obesity at age 9. | Open | PLoS ONE | |
Background Methodology/Principal Findings Conclusions/Significance | |||||
Keane, E., Perry, C.P., Kearney, P.M., Harrington, J.M., Perry, I.J., Cullinan, J., Layte, R. | 2015 | Childhood obesity, dietary quality and the role of the local food environment: cross-sectional analysis from the growing up in Ireland study | Open | Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health | |
Background Methods Results Conclusion | |||||
Kelly, D., Kelly, A., O'Dowd, T., Hayes, C.B. | 2019 | Antibiotic use in early childhood and risk of obesity: longitudinal analysis of a national cohort | Open | World Journal of Pediatrics | |
Background Methods Results Conclusions | |||||
Kelly, D., O'Dowd, T., Reulbach, U. | 2012 | Use of folic acid supplements and risk of cleft lip and palate in infants: a population-based cohort study. | Open | British Journal of General Practice | |
Background Aim Design and setting Method Results Conclusion Keywords |