L John Horwood
Biographic Data
| ID | 75112 |
|---|---|
| NAME | L John Horwood |
| GIVEN NAMES | L John |
| FAMILY NAME | Horwood |
| SIGNATURE | HORWOOD L J |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Otago |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-4881-1956 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 59 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 394 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 59 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1981 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 10 |
Socioeconomic inequity in extreme outcomes within very pre-term and/or very low birthweight infants: Evidence from multi-national cohorts
Background Pre-term birth (< 37 weeks' gestation) is a major cause of neonatal mortality, with very pre-term (< 32 weeks' gestation) and extremely pre-term (< 28 weeks' gestation) infants facing the highest risks. While socioeconomic disparities in pre-term birth are well-documented, relatively little is known about inequities among the highest risk subgroups. Methods Using data from the RECAP Pre-term Project across six high-income countries, we…
Trajectories of screen exposure from infancy to age 8 and early school age developmental outcomes
Longitudinal associations between screen time and children’s language, early educational skills, and peer social functioning
Children's high and increasing levels of screen time are of growing concern to parents, health professionals, and researchers. With the growing availability and use of devices such as smartphones and tablets, it is important to understand the impact of children's screen use on development. Prospective longitudinal data from 6,281 children (48.3% female) in the Growing Up in New Zealand study were used to examine relations between the extent of sc…
Change in the food environment and measured adiposity in adulthood in the Christchurch Health and development birth cohort, Aotearoa, New Zealand: A birth cohort study
This study investigated associations between change in the food environment and change in measured body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) in the Christchurch Health and Development Study (CHDS) birth cohort. Our findings suggest that cohort members who experienced the greatest proportional change towards better access to fast food outlets had the slightly larger increases in BMI and WC. Contrastingly, cohort members who experienced th…
Children who offend: Why are prevention and intervention efforts to reduce persistent criminality so seldom applied
Medically Unexplained Symptoms and Antecedent Sexual Abuse: An Observational Study of a Birth Cohort
OBJECTIVE: Medically unexplained symptoms (MUS) are common and associated with high consumption of health care resources. Cross-sectional studies in selected and clinical populations show consistent linkages between history of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and presentation with MUS and somatization. However, there are almost no well-controlled prospective studies in population samples. METHODS: Data were gathered in a longitudinal study of a New Z…
Does adolescent heavier alcohol use predict young adult aggression and delinquency? Parallel analyses from four Australasian cohort studies
While the association between heavy alcohol consumption and aggression has been well documented, the causal direction of this association, particularly at a population level, is disputed. A number of causal sequences have been proposed. First, that aggression leads to heavy alcohol use. Second, that heavy alcohol use leads to aggression. Third, that the association between alcohol use and aggression is due to confounding by (a) sociodemographic v…
Examining the associations between offending trajectories in adolescence/young adulthood and subsequent mental health disorders
Modelling possible causality in the associations between unemployment, cannabis use, and alcohol misuse
Adolescent depression, adult mental health and psychosocial outcomes at 30 and 35 years
Background There is limited information on long-term outcomes of adolescent depression. This study examines the associations between severity of depression in adolescence and a broad array of adult functional outcomes. Method Data were gathered as part of the Christchurch Health and Development Study, a 35-year longitudinal study of a birth cohort of 1265 children born in Christchurch, New Zealand in 1977. Severity of depression at age 14–16 year…
Life satisfaction and mental health problems (18 to 35 years)
Background Previous research has found that mental health is strongly associated with life satisfaction. In this study we examine associations between mental health problems and life satisfaction in a birth cohort studied from 18 to 35 years. Method Data were gathered during the Christchurch Health and Development Study, which is a longitudinal study of a birth cohort of 1265 children, born in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 1977. Assessments of ps…
Impact of a Major Disaster on the Mental Health of a Well-Studied Cohort
Following extensive control for prospectively measured confounding factors, exposure to the Canterbury earthquakes was associated with a small to moderate increase in the risk for common mental health problems.
Outcomes for Children and Families Following Unplanned Pregnancy: Findings from a Longitudinal Birth Cohort
Early Motherhood and Long‐Term Economic Outcomes: Findings From a 30‐Year Longitudinal Study
This study examined linkages between early motherhood (before age 20) and long‐term economic disadvantage, using data from a birth cohort of 509 N ew Z ealand‐born women followed to age 30. Associations between early motherhood and economic outcomes were examined using linear and logistic regression models and were adjusted for a range of prepregnancy factors. The findings suggested that early motherhood was associated with several indicators of …
Childhood physical punishment or maltreatment and partnership outcomes at age 30
Childhood physical abuse is known to be associated with impaired outcomes in adulthood (e.g., particularly for mental and physical health). However, relatively little is known about adult partnership outcomes for those exposed to childhood physical punishment or maltreatment. This study aims to examine the associations between childhood physical punishment or maltreatment and partnership outcomes at age 30. This investigation analyzed data from a…
Childhood sexual abuse and adult developmental outcomes: Findings from a 30-year longitudinal study in New Zealand
Intergenerational changes in the context of early motherhood
Population level shifts in the timing of parenting onset and family composition have been well documented. However, the impacts of these changes on the life course experiences of high risk, teen and younger mothers remain poorly understood To address this issue, this paper examined intergenerational changes in the family formation and parenting experiences of teen and younger mothers who gave birth in the 1970s and the 2000s (G2, N = 108). The st…
Intergenerational Changes in the Context of Early Motherhood
Population level shifts in the timing of parenting onset and family composition have been well documented. However, the impacts of these changes on the life course experiences of high risk, teen and younger mothers remain poorly understood. To address this issue, this paper examined intergenerational changes in the family formation and parenting experiences of teen and younger mothers who gave birth in the 1970s and the 2000s (G2, N = 108). The s…
Quality of Parent–Child Relations in Adolescence and Later Adult Parenting Outcomes
Data from the Christchurch Health and Development Study, a 30‐year prospective longitudinal study, were used to examine the associations between the quality of parent–child relations in adolescence and adult parenting behaviour 15 years later. At ages 14 and 15 years, cohort members were interviewed about the quality of their relationship with their parents. At age 30, those who had become parents underwent a parenting assessment using self‐repor…
Childhood family income and life outcomes in adulthood: Findings from a 30-year longitudinal study in New Zealand
Bullying victimization/perpetration in childhood and later adjustment: Findings from a 30 year longitudinal study
Purpose This paper aims to report on the associations between reports of bullying victimization and bullying perpetration in childhood and subsequent mental health and adjustment difficulties in late adolescence/adulthood (16‐30 years) in a New Zealand birth cohort. Design/methodology/approach The paper uses data from the Christchurch Health and Development Study, a longitudinal study of a birth cohort of 1,265 individuals born in Christchurch, N…
Cigarette smoking and depression: Tests of causal linkages using a longitudinal birth cohort
BACKGROUND: Research on the comorbidity between cigarette smoking and major depression has not elucidated the pathways by which smoking is associated with depression. AIMS: To examine the causal relationships between smoking and depression via fixed-effects regression and structural equation modelling. METHOD: Data were gathered on nicotine-dependence symptoms and depressive symptoms in early adulthood using a birth cohort of over 1000 individual…
Exposure to childhood sexual and physical abuse and adjustment in early adulthood
Developmental Antecedents of Interpartner Violence in a New Zealand Birth Cohort
The transmission of social inequality: Examination of the linkages between family socioeconomic status in childhood and educational achievement in young adulthood
Developmental trajectories of childhood disruptive behaviors and adolescent delinquency: A six-site, cross-national study
This study used data from 6 sites and 3 countries to examine the developmental course of physical aggression in childhood and to analyze its linkage to violent and nonviolent offending outcomes in adolescence. The results indicate that among boys there is continuity in problem behavior from childhood to adolescence and that such continuity is especially acute when early problem behavior takes the form of physical aggression. Chronic physical aggr…
Offending Trajectories in a New Zealand Birth Cohort
In this paper, we develop a latent class modeling method to examine variation in offending trajectories. This model is applied to test the predictions of the trajectory theories developed by Moffitt and Patterson that offending history data can be classified into early onset/life‐course‐persistent offending and late onset/adolescent‐limited offending trajectories, with these trajectory groups being related to different etiological factors. The ap…
Unemployment and psychosocial adjustment in young adults: Causation or Selection
Risk Factors and Life Processes Associated with Teenage Pregnancy: Results of a Prospective Study From Birth to 20 Years
Data gathered over the course of a 20-year longitudinal study of 533 New Zealand women were used to (a) describe the extent and timing of pregnancies within the cohort up to age 20, and (b) examine the extent to which the risk of an early pregnancy was related to a range of social background, family, individual, and peer relationship factors measured over the course of childhood and adolescence. Results showed that by age 20, nearly a quarter of …
The transmission of social inequality: Examination of the linkages between family socioeconomic status in childhood and educational achievement in young adulthood
Childhood family income and life outcomes in adulthood: Findings from a 30-year longitudinal study in New Zealand
Bullying victimization/perpetration in childhood and later adjustment: Findings from a 30 year longitudinal study
Purpose This paper aims to report on the associations between reports of bullying victimization and bullying perpetration in childhood and subsequent mental health and adjustment difficulties in late adolescence/adulthood (16‐30 years) in a New Zealand birth cohort. Design/methodology/approach The paper uses data from the Christchurch Health and Development Study, a longitudinal study of a birth cohort of 1,265 individuals born in Christchurch, N…
A Proportional Hazards Model of Family Breakdown
Rates of family breakdown were studied in a birth cohort of New Zealand children during the period from birth to 5 years. Family breakdown occurred at a steady rate of approximately 2.3% per annum with the result that by 5 years just under one child in every eight had experienced a family breakdown. Rates of breakdown were related to a series of family formation and social factors including length of marriage type of marriage family size planning…
Developmental Antecedents of Interpartner Violence in a New Zealand Birth Cohort
Partner Violence and Mental Health Outcomes in a New Zealand Birth Cohort
This study examines the prevalence and extent of domestic violence and the consequences of domestic violence for mental health outcomes in a birth cohort of New Zealand young adults studied at age 25 years. A total of 828 young people (437 women and 391 men) were interviewed about the domestic violence victimization and violence perpetration in their current or most recent partner relationship. Key findings of the study were (a) domestic conflict…
Factors Associated with Reports of Wife Assault in New Zealand
The frequency of wife assault among mothers of a birth cohort of New Zealand children was studied during the period when the children were from two to seven years of age. Wife assault occurred at a rate of 2% to 3% per year, with approximately 8.5% of wives reporting assault during the six-yearperiod. Rates of assault were related to a series offamily formation variables and social factors including length of marriage, type of marriage, planning …
Parental smoking and lower respiratory illness in the first three years of life
The relationships between parental smoking and the rates of lower respiratory illness during the first three years of life were examined for a birth cohort of 1265 New Zealand children. Lower respiratory illness varied significantly with maternal smoking for the first year; there was equivocal evidence of a relationship between maternal smoking and lower respiratory illness in the second year; and by third year the relationship had clearly disapp…
Early Motherhood and Long‐Term Economic Outcomes: Findings From a 30‐Year Longitudinal Study
This study examined linkages between early motherhood (before age 20) and long‐term economic disadvantage, using data from a birth cohort of 509 N ew Z ealand‐born women followed to age 30. Associations between early motherhood and economic outcomes were examined using linear and logistic regression models and were adjusted for a range of prepregnancy factors. The findings suggested that early motherhood was associated with several indicators of …
Abortion Among Young Women and Subsequent Life Outcomes
Abortion may mitigate some effects of early unplanned pregnancy. However, further study of its potential risks and benefits is needed so that women can make fully informed decisions as to whether to terminate unintended pregnancies
Modelling possible causality in the associations between unemployment, cannabis use, and alcohol misuse
Outcomes for Children and Families Following Unplanned Pregnancy: Findings from a Longitudinal Birth Cohort
The Measurement of Family Material Well-Being
This paper reports on the development of measures offamily material well-being, based on observations of ownership and consumption behavior in a sample of 1, 169 New Zealand families. Factor analysis of 49 indicator measures revealed that the material well-being of the families could be measured along two distinct yet correlated dimensions: the level offamily ownership and the amount of economizing behavior the family was required to undertake. B…
Dentine lead levels in childhood and criminal behaviour in late adolescence and early adulthood
INTRODUCTION: There have been claims in the literature that lead exposure makes a strong contribution to criminal behaviour. OBJECTIVES: To examine linkages between lead exposure in childhood and crime in late adolescence/early adulthood to (a) determine whether higher levels of lead exposure were associated with increased levels of criminal behaviour and (b) estimate the extent to which lead exposure was responsible for increases in criminal beh…
Self-Esteem, Risky Sexual Behavior, and Pregnancy in a New Zealand Birth Cohort
The (artefactual) remission of reading disability: Psychometric lessons in the study of stability and change in behavioral development
Patterns of reading disability were examined in 2 longitudinal studies. The major findings were (a) that on the basis of the observed data, remission of reading disability was relatively common with up to 37% of reading-disabled children showing remission of this disability within a 2-year period, and (b) when the data were analyzed with a latent Markov model that took account of measurement errors in test scores, the estimated true rate of remis…
Change in the food environment and measured adiposity in adulthood in the Christchurch Health and development birth cohort, Aotearoa, New Zealand: A birth cohort study
This study investigated associations between change in the food environment and change in measured body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) in the Christchurch Health and Development Study (CHDS) birth cohort. Our findings suggest that cohort members who experienced the greatest proportional change towards better access to fast food outlets had the slightly larger increases in BMI and WC. Contrastingly, cohort members who experienced th…
Children who offend: Why are prevention and intervention efforts to reduce persistent criminality so seldom applied
Adoption and Adjustment in Adolescence
David Fergusson and L John Horwood examine findings from a longitudinal study of the outcomes of adoption in a birth cohort of 1,262 New Zealand children studied from birth to the age of 16 years. This study suggested that children who entered adoptive families were advantaged throughout childhood in a number of areas including childhood experiences, standards of health care, family material conditions, family stability and mother/child interacti…
The Effect of Preschool Children on Family Stability
The association between the number of preschool children in a family and rates of family breakdown was studied in a birth cohort of New Zealand children during the period from birth to ten years. The analysis showed that with increasing levels of exposure to preschool children the risk of family breakdown decreased significantly....The findings are consistent with previous research which suggests that the presence of preschool children in the fam…
A Survival Analysis of Childhood Family History
The history of family placement was studied in a birth cohort of New Zealand preschool children. This showed the presence of a complex process of change over time. By 6 years, 16% of children born to two-parent families had experienced a family breakdown; and extrapolation of these trends suggests that by the time this cohort reaches 16 years about 35% to 40% of children born to two-parent families will have experienced family breakdown. For chil…
Parental smoking and lower respiratory illness in the first three years of life
The relationships between parental smoking and the rates of lower respiratory illness during the first three years of life were examined for a birth cohort of 1265 New Zealand children. Lower respiratory illness varied significantly with maternal smoking for the first year; there was equivocal evidence of a relationship between maternal smoking and lower respiratory illness in the second year; and by third year the relationship had clearly disapp…
The Measurement of Family Material Well-Being
This paper reports on the development of measures offamily material well-being, based on observations of ownership and consumption behavior in a sample of 1, 169 New Zealand families. Factor analysis of 49 indicator measures revealed that the material well-being of the families could be measured along two distinct yet correlated dimensions: the level offamily ownership and the amount of economizing behavior the family was required to undertake. B…
Risk factors in childhood eczema
The cumulative rate of childhood eczema during the first three years was studied in a birth cohort of 1265 New Zealand infants. A parental history of eczema was the strongest predictor of rates of childhood eczema but parental asthma was also related to childhood eczema. Children exposed to an early diverse solid-food diet also had increased risks of eczema, but there was no evidence to suggest that breast-feeding practices had any effect on rate…
A markovian model of childhood family history
A Markovian model designed to predict changes in childhood family history during the first four years for a birth cohort of New Zealand children is presented. Comparisons of the process of family change for children who entered de jure married two parent families, de facto married two parent families and single parent families at birth showed marked variations in the stability of childhood family situation. Examination of the model parameters ind…
Childhood disadvantage and the planning of pregnancy
The utilisation of preschool health and education services
A Proportional Hazards Model of Family Breakdown
Rates of family breakdown were studied in a birth cohort of New Zealand children during the period from birth to 5 years. Family breakdown occurred at a steady rate of approximately 2.3% per annum with the result that by 5 years just under one child in every eight had experienced a family breakdown. Rates of breakdown were related to a series of family formation and social factors including length of marriage type of marriage family size planning…
A Survival Analysis of Childhood Family History
The history of family placement was studied in a birth cohort of New Zealand preschool children. This showed the presence of a complex process of change over time. By 6 years, 16% of children born to two-parent families had experienced a family breakdown; and extrapolation of these trends suggests that by the time this cohort reaches 16 years about 35% to 40% of children born to two-parent families will have experienced family breakdown. For chil…
Social and family factors in childhood hospital admission
The relation between social, economic, and family life event measures and rates of hospital admission during the period from birth to 5 years was studied in a birth cohort of New Zealand children. Both family social background and family life events made a significant contribution to the variability in the risk of hospital admission. However, economic factors made no significant contribution to rates of admission when the correlated effects of fa…
Factors Associated with Reports of Wife Assault in New Zealand
The frequency of wife assault among mothers of a birth cohort of New Zealand children was studied during the period when the children were from two to seven years of age. Wife assault occurred at a rate of 2% to 3% per year, with approximately 8.5% of wives reporting assault during the six-yearperiod. Rates of assault were related to a series offamily formation variables and social factors including length of marriage, type of marriage, planning …
Self-Esteem and Defensiveness: An Analysis of the Self-Esteem Inventory
A structural equation model was developed to examine the relationships between the self-esteem and defensiveness scales of the Coopersmith Self-esteem Inventory. Data were analysed for a sample of over 800 New Zealand children using methods of confirmatory factor analysis. The fitted model suggested that the data were consistent with an hierarchical model in which the observed self-esteem scores were fallible indicators of self-esteem in four spe…
The Effect of Preschool Children on Family Stability
The association between the number of preschool children in a family and rates of family breakdown was studied in a birth cohort of New Zealand children during the period from birth to ten years. The analysis showed that with increasing levels of exposure to preschool children the risk of family breakdown decreased significantly....The findings are consistent with previous research which suggests that the presence of preschool children in the fam…
A longitudinal study of early childhood education and subsequent academic achievement
The relationships between duration of attendance at early childhood education facilities and measures of intelligence, reading comprehension, mathematical reasoning, and school ability up to the age of 13 years were studied in a birth cohort of New Zealand children. Before adjustment for confounding factors, children who had attended early education facilities for more than two years scored from .33 to .80 SDs higher on tests of cognitive ability…
Childhood Sexual Abuse and Psychiatric Disorder in Young Adulthood: II. Psychiatric Outcomes of Childhood Sexual Abuse
The (artefactual) remission of reading disability: Psychometric lessons in the study of stability and change in behavioral development
Patterns of reading disability were examined in 2 longitudinal studies. The major findings were (a) that on the basis of the observed data, remission of reading disability was relatively common with up to 37% of reading-disabled children showing remission of this disability within a 2-year period, and (b) when the data were analyzed with a latent Markov model that took account of measurement errors in test scores, the estimated true rate of remis…
Childhood sexual abuse, adolescent sexual behaviors and sexual revictimization
Adoption and Adjustment in Adolescence
David Fergusson and L John Horwood examine findings from a longitudinal study of the outcomes of adoption in a birth cohort of 1,262 New Zealand children studied from birth to the age of 16 years. This study suggested that children who entered adoptive families were advantaged throughout childhood in a number of areas including childhood experiences, standards of health care, family material conditions, family stability and mother/child interacti…
Is Sexual Orientation Related to Mental Health Problems and Suicidality in Young People?
BACKGROUND: This study examines the extent to which gay, lesbian, and bisexual young people are at increased risk of psychiatric disorder and suicidal behaviors using data gathered on a New Zealand birth cohort studied to age 21 years. METHODS: Data were gathered during the course of the Christchurch Health and Development Study, a 21-year longitudinal study of a birth cohort of 1265 children born in Christchurch, New Zealand. At 21 years of age,…
Risk factors and life processes associated with the onset of suicidal behaviour during adolescence and early adulthood
Background. This study examined associations between childhood circumstances, adolescent mental health and life events, and the development of suicidal behaviour in young people aged between 15 and 21 years. Method. Data were gathered over the course of a 21-year longitudinal study of a birth cohort of 1265 children born in New Zealand. The measures collected included: (1) patterns of suicidal behaviour (ideation, attempt) (15–21 years); (2) soci…
The stability of child abuse reports: A longitudinal study of the reporting behaviour of young adults
Background. The aims of this study were to use longitudinal report data on physical and sexual abuse to examine the stability and consistency of abuse reports. Methods. The study was based on the birth cohort of young people studied in the Christchurch Health and Development Study. At ages 18 and 21 years, these young people were questioned about their childhood exposure to physical punishment and sexual abuse. Concurrent with these assessments, …
Offending Trajectories in a New Zealand Birth Cohort
In this paper, we develop a latent class modeling method to examine variation in offending trajectories. This model is applied to test the predictions of the trajectory theories developed by Moffitt and Patterson that offending history data can be classified into early onset/life‐course‐persistent offending and late onset/adolescent‐limited offending trajectories, with these trajectory groups being related to different etiological factors. The ap…
Unemployment and psychosocial adjustment in young adults: Causation or Selection
Risk Factors and Life Processes Associated with Teenage Pregnancy: Results of a Prospective Study From Birth to 20 Years
Data gathered over the course of a 20-year longitudinal study of 533 New Zealand women were used to (a) describe the extent and timing of pregnancies within the cohort up to age 20, and (b) examine the extent to which the risk of an early pregnancy was related to a range of social background, family, individual, and peer relationship factors measured over the course of childhood and adolescence. Results showed that by age 20, nearly a quarter of …
Deviant Peer Affiliations, Crime and Substance Use: A Fixed Effects Regression Analysis
Does Father Absence Place Daughters at Special Risk for Early Sexual Activity and Teenage Pregnancy?
The impact of father absence on early sexual activity and teenage pregnancy was investigated in longitudinal studies in the United States (N= 242) and New Zealand (N= 520), in which community samples of girls were followed prospectively from early in life (5 years) to approximately age 18. Greater exposure to father absence was strongly associated with elevated risk for early sexual activity and adolescent pregnancy. This elevated risk was either…
Medicine (50 works) · Psychology (47 works) · Demography (35 works) · Psychiatry (30 works) · Cohort (26 works) · Developmental psychology (25 works) · Demography (24 works) · Poison control (23 works) · Clinical Psychology (21 works) · Child Abuse and Trauma (17 works)