Title
Adopting a child perspective for exposome research on mental health and cognitive development - Conceptualisation and opportunities
Author
Persson Waye, Kerstin (University of Gothenburg)
Löve, Jesper (University of Gothenburg)
Lercher, Peter (Graz University of Technology)
Dzhambov, Angel M (Medical University of Plovdiv; Graz University of Technology)
Klatte, Maria (University of Kaiserslautern)
Schreckenberg, Dirk (Environmental and Social Research, Hagen)
Psyllidis, A. (TU Delft Internet of Things) 
Bozzon, A. (TU Delft Human-Centred Artificial Intelligence)
Belke, Christin
Date
2023
Abstract
Mental disorders among children and adolescents pose a significant global challenge. The exposome framework covering the totality of internal, social and physical exposures over a lifetime provides opportunities to better understand the causes of and processes related to mental health, and cognitive functioning. The paper presents a conceptual framework on exposome, mental health, and cognitive development in children and adolescents, with potential mediating pathways, providing a possibility for interventions along the life course. The paper underscores the significance of adopting a child perspective to the exposome, acknowledging children's specific vulnerability, including differential exposures, susceptibility of effects and capacity to respond; their susceptibility during development and growth, highlighting neurodevelopmental processes from conception to young adulthood that are highly sensitive to external exposures. Further, critical periods when exposures may have significant effects on a child's development and future health are addressed. The paper stresses that children's behaviour, physiology, activity pattern and place for activities make them differently vulnerable to environmental pollutants, and calls for child-specific assessment methods, currently lacking within today's health frameworks. The importance of understanding the interplay between structure and agency is emphasized, where agency is guided by social structures and practices and vice-versa. An intersectional approach that acknowledges the interplay of social and physical exposures as well as a global and rural perspective on exposome is further pointed out. To advance the exposome field, interdisciplinary efforts that involve multiple scientific disciplines are crucial. By adopting a child perspective and incorporating an exposome approach, we can gain a comprehensive understanding of how exposures impact children's mental health and cognitive development leading to better outcomes.
Subject
Conceptual framework
Child perspective
Mental health
Cognition
Exposome
To reference this document use:
http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:d7aff262-0c9e-4cdb-a50c-c87a71fd4f25
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2023.117279
ISSN
0013-9351
Source
Environmental Research, 239
Part of collection
Institutional Repository
Document type
journal article
Rights
© 2023 Kerstin Persson Waye, Jesper Löve, Peter Lercher, Angel M Dzhambov, Maria Klatte, Dirk Schreckenberg, A. Psyllidis, A. Bozzon, Christin Belke, More Authors