Child and Adolescent Affective and Behavioral Distress and Elevated Adult Body Mass Index

• Published in: Child psychiatry and human development 2012-12, Vol.43 (6), p.837-854
• Main Authors: McClure, Heather H., Eddy, J. Mark, Kjellstrand, Jean M., Snodgrass, J. Josh, Martinez, Charles R.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescents; Adult; Adulthood; Adults; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - complications; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - diagnosis; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - psychology; Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder; Behavior disorders; Behavior Problems; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Biological and medical sciences; Body Composition; Body Mass Index; Body Weight; Child; Child & adolescent psychiatry; Child and School Psychology; Child clinical studies; Childhood; Children; Conduct Disorder - complications; Conduct Disorder - diagnosis; Conduct Disorder - psychology; Depression (Psychology); Depression - complications; Depression - diagnosis; Female; Humans; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Medical sciences; Mental depression; Metabolic diseases; Miscellaneous; Morbidity-Mortality; Multiple Regression Analysis; Obesity; Obesity - diagnosis; Obesity - etiology; Obesity - psychology; Original Article; Overweight - diagnosis; Overweight - etiology; Overweight - psychology; Psychiatry; Psychology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Stress, Psychological - complications; Stress, Psychological - diagnosis; Stress, Psychological - psychology; Symptoms (Individual Disorders); Young Adult; Young Adults
• ISSN: 0009-398X; 1573-3327
• DOI: 10.1007/s10578-012-0299-9

Obesity rates throughout the world have risen rapidly in recent decades, and are now a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Several studies indicate that behavioral and affective distress in childhood may be linked to elevated adult body mass index (BMI). The present study utilizes data from a 20-year longitudinal study to examine the relations between symptoms of conduct disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and depression during late childhood and mid-adolescence and BMI during emerging adulthood. Data were analyzed using multiple regression. Results suggest that childhood and adolescent problems may influence adult BMI through direct impacts on adolescent overweight, a condition which then persists into adulthood.