Symptoms of anxiety and depression in children with and without ADHD from preschool to school age (2021 – ongoing)

Other Collaborators: Beate Ørbeck (OUS), Svein Friis (OUS, UiO), Heidi Aase (Institute of Public health (FHI)), Guido Biele (FHI), Pål Zeiner (OUS, UiO), Søren Dalsgaard (University of Copenhagen)

Attention deficit-hyperactivity/impulsive disorder (ADHD), anxiety, and depression are conditions often challenging to detect in young children. Knowledge of the early course and risk factors for these conditions is essential to identify children and families who can benefit from preventive interventions or treatment in healthcare services. In this project, we examine the course of anxiety and depressive symptoms in children from age 3 to age 8 years in a longitudinal cohort study. We aim to identify symptoms reported by parents and teachers at age 3 years that can predict anxiety and depression at age 8 years in children with and without coexistent ADHD. We also aim to examine familial risk factors (e.g., maternal depression and social support) that might be of importance to the course of these symptoms.

The project is a sub-study of "The Preschool ADHD Study: Early characteristics, developmental trajectories, risk, and protective factors in a prospective birth cohort" (The ADHD Study), which was conducted in cooperation between Oslo University Hospital and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. The participants are included from The Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Study (MoBa); an ongoing prospective population-based cohort study of Norwegian-speaking pregnant women conducted by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, which started in 1999.