title: Social isolation and mental health at primary and secondary school entry: a longitudinal cohort study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We tested whether children who are socially isolated early in their schooling develop mental health problems in early adolescence, taking into account their mental health and family risk at school entry.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used data from the Environmental Risk (E-Risk) Longitudinal Twin Study, a birth cohort of 2,232 children born in England and Wales in 1994 and 1995. We measured social isolation using mothers' and teachers' reports at ages 5 and 12 years. We assessed mental health symptoms via mothers' and teachers' ratings at age 5 and self-report measures at age 12. We collected mother-reported information about the family environment when children were 5 years old. We conducted regression analyses to test concurrent and longitudinal associations between early family factors, social isolation, and mental health difficulties.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At both primary and secondary school, children who were socially isolated experienced greater mental health difficulties. Children with behavioral problems or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms at age 5 years had an elevated risk of becoming more socially isolated at age 12. However, children who were isolated at age 5 did not have greater mental health symptoms at age 12, over and above pre-existing difficulties.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although social isolation and mental health problems co-occur in childhood, early isolation does not predict worse mental health problems later on. However, children who exhibit problematic behaviors may struggle to cope with the social challenges that accompany their progression through the early school years.
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council (MRC) Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London.
authors.forename: Timothy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Matthews
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council (MRC) Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London; National and Specialist Child Traumatic Stress and Anxiety Clinic, South London and Maudsley National Health Service (NHS) Foundation Trust, London.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Danese
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council (MRC) Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London.
authors.forename: Jasmin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wertz
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council (MRC) Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London.
authors.forename: Antony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ambler
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council (MRC) Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London.
authors.forename: Muireann
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kelly
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council (MRC) Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London.
authors.forename: Ashleen
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Diver
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council (MRC) Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London; Duke University, Durham, NC, and King's College London.
authors.forename: Avshalom
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Caspi
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council (MRC) Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London; Duke University, Durham, NC, and King's College London.
authors.forename: Terrie E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Moffitt
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council (MRC) Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London. Electronic address: louise.arseneault@kcl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Louise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Arseneault
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D002657:Child Development; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D009035:Mothers; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012574:Schools; D057566:Self Report; D012934:Social Isolation / Q000523:psychology*; D014852:Wales
keywords: ADHD; behavioral problems; child development; peer relationships; social isolation