Robyn Wootton

• Bachelor of Science
• PhD Student at University of Bristol

ImportancePoor maternal mental health can negatively impact affected individuals and families. While genetic factors are important influences on mental health, few studies have used symptom-level analyses to examine how genetic liability is related to maternal mental health. A symptom-level approach can account for disorder heterogeneity and deline...

Objective ADHD symptoms typically decline with age, but less is known about whether the presentation of specific ADHD symptoms differs across development. This study aimed to examine the frequency and associated impairment of specific ADHD symptoms in childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood. Method A prospective, longitudinal cohort, the Avon...

Background Although studies have examined the association between tobacco and cannabis use in adolescence with subsequent cognitive functioning, study designs are usually not able to distinguish correlation from causation. Methods Separate patterns of tobacco and cannabis use were derived using longitudinal latent class analysis based on measures...

Background and Aims There have been few longitudinal studies of association between alcohol use and cognitive functioning in young people. We aimed to examine whether alcohol use is a causal risk factor for deficient cognitive functioning in young adults. Design Linear regression was used to examine the relationship between longitudinal latent cla...

Background and Aims: There have been few prospective studies of association between alcohol use and cognitive functioning in young people. We aim to examine whether alcohol use is a risk factor for deficient cognitive functioning in young adults. Design: Longitudinal latent class analysis was used to derive patterns of binge drinking. Linear regres...

There is increasing evidence that smoking is a risk factor for severe mental illness, including bipolar disorder. Conversely, patients with bipolar disorder might smoke more (often) as a result of the psychiatric disorder. We aimed to investigate the direction and causal nature of the relationship between smoking and bipolar disorder we conducted a...

Given clear evidence that smoking lowers weight, it is possible that individuals with higher body mass index (BMI) smoke in order to lose or maintain their weight.We performed Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses of the effects of BMI on smoking behaviour in UK Biobank and the Tobacco and Genetics consortium GWAS, on cotinine levels and nicotine m...

Late adolescence is a crucial, but underexplored, developmental stage with respect to the aetiology of social support. These individuals are experiencing many major life changes and social support can help them adjust to the associated environmental stressors of this time. Using 1,215 18-year-old twin pairs from the Twins Early Development Study, w...

Some life events appear heritable due to the genetic influence on related behaviours. Shared genetic influence between negative behaviours and negative life events has previously been established. This study investigated whether subjective wellbeing and positive life events were genetically associated. Participants in the Twins Early Development St...

Background: Despite many attempts to understand the genetic architecture of depression, little progress has been made. The majority of these studies, however, have been carried out in adults and do not account for the potential influence of development. Methods: The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) is a longitudinal pregn...

Behavioral traits generally show moderate to strong genetic influence, with heritability estimates of around 50%. Some recent research has suggested that trust may be an exception because it is more strongly influenced by social interactions. In a sample of over 7,000 adolescent twins from the United Kingdom's Twins Early Development Study, we foun...