Enduring Mental Health in Childhood and Adolescence: Prevalence, Prediction, and Genetic Architecture

ObjectiveThe concept of Enduring Mental Health (EMH) describes a long-term state where an individual does not experience any mental disorders, a rarity as studies indicate that most people encounter mental health issues at some point. This study aims to investigate the prevalence, predictors, and genetic architecture of EMH across childhood. MethodsEMH status was based on longitudinal data from 18,884 Dutch twins assessed at ages 3, 5, 7, 10, and 12 for behavioral and emotional problems. Children were pooled into 3 categories: EMH, some instances of mental health problems (SIMHP), and many instances of mental health problems (MIMHP). Child and parent level factors including individual polygenic scores were tested for associations with the three categories. A twin model was used to assess the balance of genetic and environmental factors influencing EMH. ResultsThirty seven percent of the sample had EMH. EMH was associated with parental education (OR(low) =0.77[0.70-0.86]; OR(middle) = 0.88[0.82-0.95]), child academic achievement (OR=1.07[1.03,1.12]), and child wellbeing (OR=1.44[1.35,1.54]), and was weakly associated with some polygenic scores. The twin model estimated 54% of the variance in EMH being due to genetic factors.ConclusionEMH is observed in only a minority of children. Differences in EMH are partly explained by genetic differences. These findings highlight that we need to go beyond one-size-fits all approaches to foster and build mental health resilience in young populations.