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Journal article
Improving Outcomes in Mental Health (IOMH)—an Australian longitudinal clinical study of families with children with neurodevelopmental problems: cohort profile
BMJ Open, Vol.15(3), pp.1-12
2025
PMID: 40081998
Abstract
Purpose: Children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) face a range of challenges which impact their daily functioning and that of their family. NDDs are often associated with significant mental health problems which can influence the course. The Improving Outcomes in Mental Health cohort described in this article aims to investigate the risk factors for the persistence and severity of mental health problems in children with NDDs.
Participants: A total of 1084 families (primary caregivers and children) were recruited from the Child Development Program at the Children’s Health Queensland Hospital and Health Service in Brisbane, Australia. 1471 caregivers (female n=1036) participated in the study, which included 382 families with 2 or more caregivers participating. The children were predominantly male (71%), with the average age of all children 5.6 years.
Findings to date: The most prevalent child clinical diagnoses were ASD and ADHD, with half of children receiving more than one diagnosis. Caregiver reports indicated that children were experiencing clinical levels of depression (30.8%) and anxiety (27.6%). Approximately 39% of caregivers scored in the subclinical or clinical range for at least one Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders measure, the majority reporting depressive problems.
Future plans: Future plans for this data set include analysis of environmental variables such as family structure, income, school achievements and leisure activities as risk factors for the persistence of mental health problems in children with NDDs. Genetic data will be used to provide insights into the heritability of mental illness and improve prediction.
Details
- Title
- Improving Outcomes in Mental Health (IOMH)—an Australian longitudinal clinical study of families with children with neurodevelopmental problems: cohort profile
- Authors
- Dana E Galligan - The University of QueenslandLeanne Payne - Children's Health QueenslandDaniel P Sullivan (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Thompson InstituteMadhura Bhadravathi Lokeshappa - The University of QueenslandLaura Ziser - The University of QueenslandLorelle Nunn - The University of QueenslandLeanne Wallace - The University of QueenslandIsabella Andersen - The University of QueenslandSophie Howarth - The University of QueenslandAkina Kato - The University of QueenslandMohan Karunanithi - The University of QueenslandCassandra Mingin - The University of QueenslandSally O'Scanaill - The University of QueenslandNisreen Aouira - The University of QueenslandAyu Paramecwari - The University of QueenslandMatthew R Sanders - The University of QueenslandVanessa Elise Cobham - The University of QueenslandNaomi R Wray - The University of QueenslandAnjali K Henders - The University of QueenslandEnda M Byrne - The University of QueenslandHoney Heussler - The University of QueenslandChristel M Middeldorp (Corresponding Author) - Children’s Health Queensland Hospital and Health Service
- Publication details
- BMJ Open, Vol.15(3), pp.1-12
- Publisher
- BMJ Group
- Date published
- 2025
- DOI
- 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-091676
- ISSN
- 2044-6055
- PMID
- 40081998
- Copyright note
- © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2025. Re-use permitted under CC BY. Published by BMJ Group. This is an open access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported (CC BY 4.0) license, which permits others to copy, redistribute, remix, transform and build upon this work for any purpose, provided the original work is properly cited, a link to the licence is given, and indication of whether changes were made. See: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
- Data Availability
- Data are available upon reasonable request. Large samples are essential to get to accurate prediction models. Hence, we are very open to collaborations with other cohorts. Researchers interested in future collaborations should contact Christel Middeldorp c.middeldorp@amsterdamumc.nl to discuss potential use of the IOMH data set.
- Grants
- Grant note
- We acknowledge funding from the Children’s Hospital Foundation, the University of Queensland and Clinical Excellence Queensland, Queensland Health.
- Organisation Unit
- Thompson Institute
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991112452702621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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