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Examining the Longitudinal Nature of Depressive Symptoms in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) [Version 1; Peer Review: 2 Approved]

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Examining the Longitudinal Nature of Depressive Symptoms in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) [Version 1; Peer Review: 2 Approved] Wellcome Open Research 2019, 4:126 Last updated: 05 JUL 2021 DATA NOTE Examining the longitudinal nature of depressive symptoms in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) [version 1; peer review: 2 approved] Alex S. F. Kwong 1,2 1School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK 2MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK v1 First published: 22 Aug 2019, 4:126 Open Peer Review https://doi.org/10.12688/wellcomeopenres.15395.1 Latest published: 04 Oct 2019, 4:126 https://doi.org/10.12688/wellcomeopenres.15395.2 Reviewer Status Invited Reviewers Abstract Depression during adolescence is associated with a number of 1 2 3 negative outcomes in later life. Research has examined the longitudinal nature of adolescent depression in order to identify version 2 patterns of depressive mood, the early antecedents and later (revision) report report report consequences. However, rich longitudinal data is needed to better 04 Oct 2019 address these questions. The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) is an intergenerational birth cohort with nine version 1 repeated assessments of depressive symptoms throughout late 22 Aug 2019 report report childhood, adolescence and young adulthood. Depressive symptoms are measured using the Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (SMFQ). Many studies have used ALSPAC to examine the longitudinal 1. Myrna Weissman , Columbia University, nature of depressive symptoms in combination with the wealth of New York, USA early life exposure and later outcome data. This data note provides a summary of the SMFQ data, where the data are stored in ALSPAC, the 2. Glyn Lewis , University College London, characteristics and distribution of the SMFQ, and highlights some London, UK considerations for researchers wanting to use the SMFQ data in ALSPAC. 3. Stephan Collishaw , Cardiff University, Keywords Cardiff, UK longitudinal, depression, depressive symptoms, ALSPAC Any reports and responses or comments on the article can be found at the end of the article. This article is included in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) gateway. Page 1 of 11 Wellcome Open Research 2019, 4:126 Last updated: 05 JUL 2021 Corresponding author: Alex S. F. Kwong ([email protected]) Author roles: Kwong ASF: Writing – Original Draft Preparation, Writing – Review & Editing Competing interests: No competing interests were disclosed. Grant information: The UK Medical Research Council and Wellcome (Grant Ref: 102215) and the University of Bristol provide core support for ALSPAC. A comprehensive list of grant funding is available on the ALSPAC website. This research was specifically funded by Wellcome (08426812), Wellcome and the MRC (076467; 092731), the MRC (MR/M006727/1), NIH (PD301198-SC101645). A.S.F.K is funded by an ESRC Advanced Quantitative Methods Studentship. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Copyright: © 2019 Kwong ASF. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. How to cite this article: Kwong ASF. Examining the longitudinal nature of depressive symptoms in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) [version 1; peer review: 2 approved] Wellcome Open Research 2019, 4:126 https://doi.org/10.12688/wellcomeopenres.15395.1 First published: 22 Aug 2019, 4:126 https://doi.org/10.12688/wellcomeopenres.15395.1 Page 2 of 11 Wellcome Open Research 2019, 4:126 Last updated: 05 JUL 2021 Introduction details of all the data that are available through a fully search- Depression during adolescence is associated with a number of able data dictionary and variable search tool: http://www.bris- negative outcomes in later life such as poorer mental health1, tol.ac.uk/alspac/researchers/our-data. Part of the depressive impaired educational attainment2 and reduced social functioning3. symptoms data were collected using REDCap. Understandably, research has examined the aetiology of depres- sion during and around adolescence in order to identify preventions The SMFQ and interventions that could reduce these impairments. The SMFQ is a 13-item questionnaire that measures the pres- ence of depressive symptoms in the last two weeks9. Table 1 Adolescence marks a period where depression as a disorder shows the list of questions administered at each occasion in first commonly onsets4, but this period is also characterised by ALSPAC. For each question, the answer can be “not true” (scored dynamic changes in depressive mood5. Consequently, depres- 0), “sometimes” (scored 1) and “true” (scored 2). As each ques- sion during and surrounding adolescence can fluctuate rapidly tion is scored between 0–2, the resulting summary score of all the across short periods of time6, and it can be difficult to quantify items can range between 0–26, with higher scores being more the true nature of adolescent depression without longitudinal indicative of greater depression. As well as being used as a research. Several recent studies have suggested that examin- dimensional outcome, some studies have also shown that a ing depression within individuals over time may be helpful cut off point for scores of 11 or more have good specificity method for 1) uncovering the nature of adolescent depression for predicting depression12. As such, this binary threshold has and how it changes over time, 2) identifying risk factors asso- also been used in several studies10,13. ciated with greater adolescent depression, and 3) examining how greater depression during and across adolescence is associated SMFQ within ALSPAC with later outcomes7. The SMFQ has been measured on nine occasions between the ages of 10 and 24 in the ALSPAC cohort. At each of these The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) occasions, the SMFQ has been self-completed by the child/young is a unique intergenerational cohort study with a wealth of bio- person. However, there are an additional four occasions where logical, genetic and phenotypic data from parents and children. the SMFQ has been completed by a parent or guardian for the However, one of the most important aspects of the ALSPAC child/young person; these data are not the subject of this study is through its repeated assessments of psychiatric traits8. data note. ALSPAC is one of the few cohorts that has repeated assess- ments of the Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (SMFQ)9, The SMFQ was administered in ALSPAC via postal/email reported by the child themselves throughout childhood, questionnaire or at research clinics. Table 2 shows the how each adolescence and young adulthood. The SMFQ is a 13-item questionnaire was collected. Across the nine occasions, the questionnaire designed for examining the presence of depressive symptoms in epidemiological studies9–11, and has been shown 12 to be a strong predictor of depression . The SMFQ summa- Table 1. List of questions. In the Short Mood and Feelings ries these 13 items to give a score ranging between 0–26, where Questionnaire. greater scores represent higher depression. Question number List of questions used Many studies have used to examine the SMFQ in ALSPAC for 1 I felt miserable or unhappy exploring the nature of depression across adolescence6, risk factors for greater depression13–16, and how depression during 2 I didn’t enjoy anything at all this period can be associated with later outcomes2,17. However, 3 I felt so tired I just sat around and did there are still many unanswered questions regarding the lon- nothing gitudinal nature of depression during and across adolescence, 4 I was very restless and ALSPAC will play a role in answering these questions. 5 I felt I was no good anymore Therefore, the aim of this data note is to provide the reader with a comprehensive overview of the SMFQ in ALSPAC. 6 I cried a lot Primarily, this data note focuses on the location of these data 7 I found it hard to think properly or within ALSPAC, the sample sizes, validity and correlations concentrate between SMFQ assessments and the distribution of the SMFQ 8 I hated myself data. 9 I was a bad person Methods 10 I felt lonely ALSPAC data 11 I thought nobody really loved me The Avon Longitudinal Study of parents and Children (ALSPAC) 12 I thought I could never be as good as others is an intergenerational longitudinal cohort that recruited preg- nant women residing in Avon, UK with expected dates of 13 I did everything wrong delivery 1st April 1991 to 31st December 199218,19. The initial For each question, the responses are: not true (scored 0), sometimes cohort consisted of 14,062 children, but has been increased to (scored 1) and true (scored 2). The total scores are then added up to give a score ranging between 0 and 26 where higher scores indicate higher 20 14,901 with further recruitment . The study website contains depressive symptoms. Page 3 of 11 Wellcome Open Research 2019, 4:126 Last updated: 05 JUL 2021 Table 2. Source of Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (SMFQ) questions in ALSPAC and variable names. Occasion Source of SMFQ Source file in List of variable names in ALSPAC ALSPAC 1 Clinic Focus at 10 (F10) fddp110, fddp112, fddp113, fddp114, fddp115, fddp116, fddp118, fddp119, fddp121, fddp122, fddp123, fddp124, fddp125 2 Clinic Teen Focus 1 (TF1) ff6500, ff6502, ff6503, ff6504, ff6505, ff6506, ff6508, ff6509,
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