Massimiliano Orri

McGill University | McGill · McGill Group for Suicide Studies - Department of Psychiatry

Importance Dual language learners (DLL) (ie, children learning 2 or more languages) present lower school readiness than non-DLL children, putting DLL children at risk of later school difficulties and adverse outcomes. However, it is unclear whether participation in early childhood education and care (ECEC) services may reduce this gap. Objective T...

Objective Suicide ideation and attempt are leading risk factors for mortality in young adults. However, the adolescent risk factors distinguishing suicide ideation from attempt in young adults remain unclear. The present study aimed to examine the extent to which within‐person stability and change in depressive symptoms, school difficulties, and pe...

Little is known about somatic complaints in school-aged child victims of sexual abuse and the associated risk factors. Given that somatic symptoms can lead to functional impairment and decreased health-related quality of life, identifying associated factors in the child’s environment is essential. This study aimed to identify personal, family, and...

Young people are worried about climate change but the association with current and past mental health symptoms is rarely examined in longitudinal population-based samples. Drawing on a population-based birth cohort from the Canadian province of Quebec (n = 1325), this study used a cross-over design to (1) test the association between climate change...

Background Maternal postpartum depression is an important risk factor for internalizing and externalizing problems in children. The role of concurrent paternal depression remains unclear, especially by socioeconomic status. This study examined independent and interactive associations of postpartum maternal and paternal depression with children's in...

Importance Depression is a leading cause of disability. The timing and persistence of depression may be differentially associated with long-term mental health and psychosocial outcomes. Objective To examine if depression symptoms during early and middle childhood and adolescence and persistent depression symptoms are associated with impaired young...

Prior studies have suggested an association between chronic pain and suicidal behavior. However, evidence supporting the causal nature of this association, and the role played by depression, remain difficult to establish due to confounding. We investigated associations of chronic pain with suicide attempt and death by suicide as well as the mediati...

Background: Self- and hetero-directed violence (SHDV) is a serious public health problem and a complex phenomenon, influenced by individual and environmental factors. SHDV may occur particularly in moments of personal, economic and/or social crisis. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the ISS-Helplines operators have perceived an increase in psychologic...

Objective: Emerging adulthood (18-25 years) is associated with peak prevalence of cannabis use. While population-based longitudinal studies have found little change in cannabis use among emerging adults during COVID-19, research examining changes among vulnerable subgroups is lacking. The present study examined the association between emotion dysr...

We investigated whether child temperament (negative emotionality, 5 months) moderated the association between maternal stimulation (5 months–2½ years) and academic readiness and achievement (vocabulary, mathematics, and reading). We applied structural equation modeling to the data from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development ( N = 1121–1...

Background International guidelines often state that general practitioners (GPs) provide early management for most patients with eating disorders (EDs). GP management of EDs has not been studied in France. Depressive disorders are often a comorbidity of EDs. The aims of this study were to describe in France the characteristics of people with all su...

Background and Hypothesis Suicide is a leading cause of death in first-episode psychosis (FEP), with an elevated risk during the first year following illness onset. The association between negative symptoms and suicidality remains contentious. Some studies suggest that negative symptoms may be associated with lower suicidality, while others fail to...

Purpose There is a growing interest in assessing the benefits of exposure to urban greenspace on mental health due to the increased urbanization of youth and concerns for their mental health. We investigated the prospective associations of residential greenspace in childhood and mental health in adolescence. Use of a well-characterized birth cohort...

Introduction Suicide is an important public health problem. Providing evidence-based psychosocial interventions to individuals presenting with self-harm is recognised as an important suicide prevention strategy. Therefore, it is crucial to understand which intervention is most effective in preventing self-harm repetition. We will evaluate the compa...

Introduction: This meta-analysis examined the association between dimensional and categorical conceptualizations of attachment styles and suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs). Methods: Random-effects meta-analysis was conducted to examine the associations between categorical secure attachment, categorical insecure attachment, and insecure attachm...

Background Identifying risk factors for suicidal ideation and attempt among first-episode psychosis patients is essential to prevent suicide in this high-risk population. We investigated risk factors at admission for suicidal ideation and attempt during a 2-year early intervention program. Methods Our sample included patients aged 18–35 years who...

Background Children’s mental health is a public health priority, with 1 in 5 European children younger than 12 years having a behavioral, developmental, or psychological disorder. Mental health literacy (MHL) is a modifiable determinant of mental health, promoting psychological well-being and reducing mental health problems. Despite its significanc...

BACKGROUND Children’s mental health is a public health priority, with 1 in 5 European children younger than 12 years having a behavioral, developmental, or psychological disorder. Mental health literacy (MHL) is a modifiable determinant of mental health, promoting psychological well-being and reducing mental health problems. Despite its significanc...

Prior studies have suggested an association between chronic pain and suicidal behavior. However, evidence supporting the causal nature of this association, and the role played by depression, remain difficult to establish due to confounding. We investigated associations of chronic pain with suicide attempt and death by suicide as well as the mediati...

Background A higher risk of suicidal ideation associated with self-report of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)-like symptoms or COVID-19 infection has been observed in cross-sectional studies, but evidence from longitudinal studies remains limited. The aims of this study were 2-fold: (1) to explore if self-reported COVID-19-like symptoms in 2020...

Objective: To investigate prospective associations between type of child abuse (physical, sexual, both), timing (childhood, young adulthood, both), and welfare receipt into middle-age. Methods: Database linkage study using the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Kindergarten Children cohort born in 1980 and government administrative databases (N = 3020...

Introduction: Child sexual abuse remains a worldwide concern with devastating consequences on an individual's life. This longitudinal study investigates the associations between child sexual abuse (official reports versus retrospective self-reports) and subgroups by perpetrator identity (intrafamilial and extrafamilial), severity (penetration/atte...

Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with increased mental health problems. We investigated (1) associations between disordered eating in adolescence and mental health problems after one year of the pandemic and (2) the mechanisms explaining associations. Method: We analyzed data from a population-based birth cohort in Quebec, C...

Child and adolescent mental health (CAMH) are a global priority. Different countries across the globe face unique challenges in CAMH services that are specific to them. However, there are multiple issues that are also similar across countries. These issues have been presented in this commentary from the lens of early career CAMH professionals who a...

We thank Wen-Wang Rao and colleagues for their interest and comments on our research article published in The Lancet Psychiatry. As pointed out by Rao and colleagues, we failed to include the article by Chiang and colleagues in our review. However, the prevalence of suicidal ideation reported for fourth grade children (aged 9–10 years old) aligns p...

Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic seems associated with a worsening in mental health issues as well as a widening of pre-existing social and health inequalities. Assessment of its impact on suicidal behavior might therefore be relevant. Objectives To assess factors associated with suicidal ideation in the general population, using data from the F...

Introduction Externalising and internalising problems are common in school-aged children. Few studies have examined the association between comorbid externalising and internalising symptoms and adult-life economic participation. Objectives To investigate associations of childhood externalising, internalising, and comorbid internalising-externalisi...

We assessed the psychometric properties of the Social Behavior Questionnaire (SBQ), a 30-item questionnaire evaluating social (e.g., disruptive behaviors, bullying) and emotional problems (e.g., anxiety, depression) among children aged 3.5–12 years. Children ( n = 1,950, 50.21% boys) were drawn from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Developmen...

Symptomatic COVID-19 appears to be associated with suicidal ideation but longitudinal evidence is still scarce. SARS-CoV2-induced neurological damages might underline this association, but findings are inconsistent. We therefore investigated the association between COVID-19 disease and subsequent suicidal ideation in the general population, using b...

Purpose: The aim of this study was to (1) investigate the association of parental death and illness with suicidal ideation using a large sample of university students and (2) test whether associations were moderated by perceived family support. Methods: We used data from N = 15,008 French university students enrolled in the i-Share cohort (mean...

Background Suicide in children is a pressing public health concern. The increasing number of deaths by suicide and emergency visits for suicidal ideation and self-harm in children might not be fully representative; it is likely that many more children are in distress but do not seek out help. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of ex...

Background Reports on longitudinal trends in mental health-related (MHR) emergency department (ED) utilization spanning the pre- and post-pandemic periods are lacking, along with evidence comparing healthcare services utilization by sociodemographic subgroups. The aim of this study was to evaluate COVID-19-associated changes in MHR ED utilization a...

Background Reports on longitudinal trends in mental health–related (MHR) emergency department (ED) utilization spanning the pre- and post-pandemic periods are lacking, along with evidence comparing healthcare services utilization by sociodemographic subgroups. The aim of this study was to evaluate COVID-19–associated changes in MHR ED utilization a...

Background Although early life factors are associated with increased suicide risk in youth, there is a dearth of research on these associations for individuals growing up in disadvantaged socioeconomic contexts, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We documented the association between individual, familial, and environmental fa...

Past research has demonstrated associations between parental personality traits and children's behaviour. However, fathers have been largely excluded from this research, and mothers often rate both their own personality and their child's behaviour, contributing to shared method variance. This study contributes to the literature by examining associa...

The period at the start of treatment of adolescents with depression is both crucial and complex. Adolescents’ and parents’ perspectives on that early-treatment stage are important but have not yet been explored. The present study explores the lived experience of the early-treatment stage among adolescents with major depressive disorder and their pa...

Human capital—that is the cumulative abilities, education, social skills, and mental and physical health one possesses—is increasingly recognized as key to the reduction of inequality in societies. Adverse childhood experiences have been linked to a range of human capital indicators, with the majority of research in high-income, western settings. T...

The comorbidity between physical and mental health conditions is challenging and frequently goes unrecognized in practice. Associations between Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and physical conditions have been reported in youth. However, prior research failed to: (1) address the patterns of associations in early childhood, middle ch...

Importance: Individuals who have been sexually abused are at a greater risk for poor health, but associations with economic outcomes in mid-life have been overlooked. Objectives: We investigated associations between child sexual abuse (≤18 years) and economic outcomes at 33-37 years, while considering type of report (official/retrospective) and cha...

Summary Background Suicide in children is a pressing public health concern. The increasing number of deaths by suicide and emergency visits for suicidal ideation and self-harm in children might not be fully representative; it is likely that many more children are in distress but do not seek out help. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analys...

Objective: Together with family factors, early care and education (ECE) services were shown to improve school readiness in kindergarten. However, it is not clear whether better school readiness at age 6 years translates into higher rates of high school graduation years later. Our objective was therefore to investigate the long-term associations be...

Background Peer victimization is associated with a wide range of mental health problems in youth, yet few studies described its association with mental health comorbidities. Methods To test the association between peer victimization timing and intensity and mental health comorbidities, we used data from 1216 participants drawn from the Quebec Long...

Background Youth who attempt suicide are more at risk for later mental disorders and suicide. However, little is known about their long-term socioeconomic outcomes. Aims We investigated associations between youth suicide attempts and adult economic and social outcomes. Method Participants were drawn from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Kindergar...

Background Concerns have been raised that the COVID-19 pandemic could increase risk for adverse mental health outcomes, especially in young adults, a vulnerable age group. We investigated changes in depression and anxiety symptoms (overall and severe) from before to during the pandemic, as well as whether these changes are linked to COVID-19-relate...

Use of substances such as cannabis, alcohol, and tobacco, has been associated with increased risk of suicide attempt in several observational studies. However, establishing whether these associations are causal is challenging when using observational designs. To evaluate the potential causal contributions of cannabis use, alcohol use, and tobacco s...

Background Although several studies explored the association between ADHD and suicidality in the pediatric population, there is a lack of studies focusing on adults. It is particularly unclear whether comorbid mood disorders confer an increased risk of suicidal ideation and attempt among individuals with high ADHD symptoms. Methods Participants we...

Objective Despite their essential role during this health crisis, little is known about the psychological distress of mental health workers (MHW). Method A total of 616 MHW and 658 workers from the general population (GP) completed an online survey including depressive, anxiety, irritability, loneliness, and resilience measures. Results Overall,...

Importance Few studies from low-and-middle income countries have investigated long-term associations between maternal postnatal depression and offspring internalizing (ie, depressive and anxiety) symptoms, and none have investigated interactions in this association. Objective To investigate the association between maternal postnatal depression and...

This study investigates, using an online self-report questionnaire, adolescents’ emotional reactions during the lockdown in a sample of 2105 secondary school students (aged 14–19) in Italy, Romania, and Croatia. We used a self-reported online questionnaire (answers on a 5-point scale or binary), composed of 73 questions investigating the opinions,...

Background Childhood maltreatment and peer victimization are major risk factors for depression and suicidal behavior. Furthermore, childhood maltreatment increases the risk of peer victimization. Our objective was to distinguish between the contributions of parental maltreatment and peer victimization to the development of mental health problems in...

Background We aimed to first, estimate the association of early childhood out-of-home placement with adult income and reliance on social welfare, and second, to test whether, and to what extent, mental health problems in adolescence/young adulthood and primary school grade point average (GPA) explain these associations. Method We used linked regis...

Background While childhood externalizing, internalizing and comorbid problems have been associated with suicidal risk, little is known about their specific associations with suicidal ideation and attempts. We examined associations between childhood externalizing, internalizing and comorbid problems and suicidal ideation (without attempts) and attem...

Suicidal thoughts and behaviours are prevalent among college students. Yet little is known about screening tools to identify students at higher risk. We aimed to develop a risk algorithm to identify the main predictors of suicidal thoughts and behaviours among college students within one-year of baseline assessment. We used data collected in 2013–2...

Aims Low birth weight is associated with adult mental health, cognitive, and socioeconomic problems. However, the causal nature of these associations remains difficult to establish due to confounding. We aimed to estimate the contribution of birth weight to adult mental health, cognitive, and socioeconomic outcomes using two-sample Mendelian random...

Substance abuse is a significant public health concern that disproportionately burdens males and low-income communities. This study examined (1) longitudinal profiles of male adolescent poly-substance use and (2) their association with social and economic participation across early adulthood. Drawing on a cohort of males (n = 890) from low-income n...

Purpose The Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development (QLSCD) was designed to examine the long-term associations of preschool physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development with biopsychosocial development across childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood. Methods QLSCD is an ongoing prospective cohort including 2120 singletons born...

Background Concerns have been raised that the Covid-19 pandemic could increase risk for poor mental health, especially in young adults, a vulnerable age group. We investigated changes in depression and anxiety symptoms (overall and severe) from before to during the pandemic, as well as whether these changes are linked to Covid-19 related stressors...

Background Irritable children are at increased risk of suicidal ideation and suicide attempt, but the underlying environmental mechanisms accounting for these associations are largely unknown. We aimed to investigate the mediating role of peer victimization and harsh parenting in the association between childhood irritability and adolescent suicida...

Importance Although longitudinal studies have reported associations between early life factors (ie, in-utero/perinatal/infancy) and long-term suicidal behavior, they have concentrated on 1 or few selected factors, and established associations, but did not investigate if early-life factors predict suicidal behavior. Objective To identify and evalua...

Maternal smoking is associated with increased risk of smoking in the offspring. However, it remains unclear whether this association depends on the timing of exposure to maternal smoking. We investigated the association between prenatal and/or postnatal maternal smoking and offspring smoking during adolescence. Participants (N = 1661) were from the...

Background Child maltreatment and peer victimization are known to be major risk factors for depression and suicidal behavior. Furthermore, child maltreatment increases the risk for victimization by peers. Our objective was to distinguish the contribution of maltreatment by parents and peer victimization to mental health problems in young adulthood....

Background Low birth weight is associated with adult mental health, cognitive and socioeconomic problems. However, the causal nature of these associations remains difficult to establish owing to confounding. Aims To estimate the contribution of birth weight to adult mental health, cognitive and socioeconomic outcomes using two-sample Mendelian ran...

Suicidal thoughts and behaviors are prevalent among college students. Yet little is known about screening tools to identify students at higher risk. We aimed to develop a risk algorithm to identify the main predictors of suicidal thoughts and behaviors among college students within one-year of baseline assessment. We used data collected in 2013–201...

Background Few studies investigated the association between maternal smoking during pregnancy and offspring suicide risk, none considering postnatal smoking exposure. We investigated associations between maternal smoking patterns during the pre- and post-natal periods and adolescent suicidal ideation and attempt. Methods We identified longitudinal...

We examined whether adolescents’ loneliness and social withdrawal mediated the association between maternal depressive symptoms and adolescent suicidality. Secondary analyses on the Québec Longitudinal Study of Child Development data were conducted ( n = 1,623). Each mother completed the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (at child a...

Background Maternal diet quality during pregnancy has been linked to offspring's physical and mental health outcomes across the lifespan. However, few studies have examined its association with subsequent offspring's anxiety and depression issues. Objectives The objective of the study was to examine the relationship between maternal prenatal dieta...