Grant: Fellowship: Bisby (Prize)

Mental and physical health problems are global phenomena that affect billions of people world-wide and place huge tolls on an individual's productivity and livelihood and cost the government billions of dollars annually in treatment and service fees. Furthermore, these problems tend to co-occur, placing an even greater strain on at-risk individuals. Biological, psychological and social factors have been associated with both mental and physical health problems however these associations are typically examined concurrently. The Wisconsin Study of Families and Work is a longitudinal study that has followed more than 400 individuals and their families for over 20 years. Extensive data has been collected during 15 waves of data collection from the prenatal period to age 18 years, typically at 1-2 year intervals. Various predictors measured at nearly every wave (e.g. income, parental depression, marital conflict, child temperament, parenting practices, etc.) will be used to simultaneously predict mental and physical health outcomes. Additionally, the role of stress physiology will be thoroughly examined in this model. Cortisol is a main by-product of the stress response and was measured at 4 time points between childhood and adolescence. Both diurnal and reactive measures of cortisol will be included in models to examine how altered stress physiology may act as a risk factor for the development of mental and physical health problems. Furthermore, advanced modeling techniques will be used to examine the co-occurrence of mental and physical health problems over time and to predict the likelihood of future health problems based on current health problems. In order to properly explore the progression of mental and physical health disorders, models that integrate psychological, social, and biological precursors at multiple points in time from infancy to late adolescence are needed in order to provide a comprehensive view of this complex process.