Childhood exposure to particulate matter and nitrogen oxides and associations with mental health disorders in early adulthood: testing mediation by cognition in a UK longitudinal cohort study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Little is known about the mechanisms underlying associations between air pollution exposure in childhood and mental health disorders in adulthood.

Objective

To examine the prospective associations between age-10 air pollution exposure and age-18 mental health disorders and to test potential mediation by impaired cognition at age 12.

Methods

We used longitudinal observations of 1969 members of the Environmental Risk Study who were born across England and Wales in 1994-1995. Exposure to nitrogen dioxide, nitrogen oxides (NO_x) and particulate matter (PM_2.5 and PM₁₀) was modelled for residential addresses at age 10. Past-year prevalence of anxiety, depression, conduct disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder was ass

SUBMITTER: Canning T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12496056 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature