Nearly 30 years of twin research 🧬 From age 5 to 30 — and counting. Huge thanks to our participants for making longitudinal research possible 🎉
@kingsioppn.bsky.social @kingscsmh.bsky.social
Childhood victimization doesn’t define the future.
Over ⅓ of affected E-Risk twins showed flourishing by age 18—especially in social support, sleep, and education. 💛📚
@kingsioppn.bsky.social @kingscsmh.bsky.social
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
🎉 A huge milestone for #ERisk30 — over 1,000 twins seen. Enormous thanks to the entire team who made this possible 💙
@kingsioppn.bsky.social @kingscsmh.bsky.social
🧠 Prospective vs. retrospective measures of childhood maltreatment often flag different people 🧑
🔍 More social support & better mental health → less retrospective recall
🔍 Higher SES & more positive family functioning → harder prospective detection
@kingsioppn.bsky.social @kingscsmh.bsky.social
🧠🌍 A recent E‑Risk finding shows a small link between higher childhood NOx exposure and later depression.
No strong links for other pollutants — but clean air still matters for young people’s mental health 🩵
@kingsioppn.bsky.social @kingscsmh.bsky.social
Welcome Marta, the newest member of the E‑Risk team!
“Meeting the twins at 30 is a rare chance to explore identity, relationships, and wellbeing from childhood into adulthood 🧑🧒. I can't wait to get started with the team!” 💙
@kingsioppn.bsky.social @kingscsmh.bsky.social
Meet Anna, our new Research Assistant! 🎉
“I’m thrilled to be joining the E‑Risk Study team 😊 I’m grateful for the chance to contribute to such impactful research ✨ I can’t wait to meet the amazing twins who make this work possible 👯♀️”
@kingsioppn.bsky.social @kingscsmh.bsky.social
E‑Risk twins grew up offline, entered adulthood online yet friendships stayed strong 🫂
56% had 1–4 close friends, 40% had 5 or more. 💛
@kingsioppn.bsky.social @kingscsmh.bsky.social
Across three cohorts, including the E-Risk Study, a paper led by Dr Kyle Bourassa found that young people with lifetime PTSD show elevated suPAR at age 18, a marker of chronic inflammation.
A key insight into how trauma shapes long‑term health. 📚✨
@kingsioppn.bsky.social @kingscsmh.bsky.social
🧬📚 How do genes, families, and schools shape learning?
This paper led by Dr Alexandra Starr looks at how researchers untangle genetics from environment across childhood and countries, using E-Risk Study data🌍👯♀️
@kingsioppn.bsky.social @kingscsmh.bsky.social @vuamsterdam.bsky.social
We’re delighted to announce that the E‑Risk Team has now interviewed over 900 twins! 👯✨
A huge thank‑you to all the twins who’ve taken part — we can’t wait to meet the rest of you! 💙
@kingscsmh.bsky.social @kingsioppn.bsky.social
🧠 Why do reports of childhood maltreatment change over time? Our research shows shifts between childhood records and self-reports at 18:
1️⃣ Some harms weren’t recognised earlier
2️⃣ Recalling/sharing later isn’t easy
3️⃣ People reinterpret experiences over time
Each report adds something important 💡
📱 New research with E‑Risk!
Dr Timothy Matthews (Psychology Lecturer at Greenwich University) explores how young people’s online habits relate to loneliness.
🎮More TV, gaming & web use → higher loneliness
🤳 Social media platforms? No clear link
@kingscsmh.bsky.social @kingsioppn.bsky.social
The E-Risk Study has the privilege of meeting incredible people from all walks of life 🌍
We’ve loved catching up with our twins as they hit the big 3-0 🎉
These experiences will help shape future work in child development and mental health 🧠💪
@kingsioppn.bsky.social @kingscsmh.bsky.social
A special thank you to all E-Risk participants and the @eriskstudy.bsky.social team for making this research possible.
Co-authors: Flora Blangis, @niamhdooley.bsky.social =, Helen Fisher, Tim Matthews, and @candiceodgers.bsky.social
💬 How we talk to our children matters, long after childhood.
New findings from the E-Risk Study show that maternal warmth and negativity at age 10 are linked to mental health in adolescence.
📽 Watch Dr Alice Wickersham explain more in this video.
@kingscsmh.bsky.social @kingsioppn.bsky.social
🌱 Early intervention matters for young people’s mental health 🧠
E-Risk PI Helen Fisher joins @mqmentalhealth.bsky.social calling for more research into what puts young people at risk and what protects them.
eriskstudy.com/https://www
🚨 We’re hiring!
Join the team behind the E-Risk Longitudinal Twin Study 🧬
📌 4 Research Assistant posts
🎥 Conduct online interviews with twins turning 30
🔗 Apply now: www.kcl.ac.uk/jobs/131185-...
⏳ Deadline: Dec 10
@kingsioppn.bsky.social @kingscsmh.bsky.social
How is air pollution in childhood linked to mental ill-health later in life?
We’ve supported recent research suggesting that policies to reduce children’s exposure to air pollution may help reduce depression in early adulthood.
Read the full publication here: mentalhealth.bmj.com/content/28/1...
Curious about how home environments influence kids’ emotional skills? 🌱
Our recent paper led by Dr Helen Milojevich looks at family factors and children’s social–emotional growth.
Check it out 👉 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41058470/
@kingsioppn.bsky.social @kingscsmh.bsky.social
Growing up in deprived neighborhoods can impact adolescent mental health, but protective factors like self-esteem and parenting matter.
🎬 Dr Rachel Latham shares a 2-min summary of the findings from the MCS & E-Risk.
@kingsioppn.bsky.social @kingscsmh.bsky.social @clscohorts.bsky.social
The E-Risk study shows how early life shapes adulthood, and young people are helping guide the research! 🙌
Their voices are making sure the right questions get asked. 🔍❤️
@kingsioppn.bsky.social @kingscsmh.bsky.social @kingscollegelondon.bsky.social
🎉 Huge congratulations to Stefan, our E-Risk Data Manager, for winning the King’s Technical Services Award! 🏆👏
Thanks for keeping the study running smoothly behind the scenes! 💻🔍
@kingsioppn.bsky.social @kingscsmh.bsky.social
#ERiskStudy #KingsAward #DataManagement #ResearchSupport
Dr Flora Blangis shared E-Risk findings at the ISPCAN Congress in Vilnius 🌍 Some twins who faced tough childhoods are thriving at 30 🌱✨
Longitudinal research shows how resilience grows 💪📊
@kingscsmh.bsky.social @kingsioppn.bsky.social
🎓 Dr. Tom Canning pictured passing his PhD viva with no corrections!
His thesis included a key E-Risk Study paper linking childhood NOx exposure to increased risk of depression in early adulthood - a key contribution to environmental mental health research.
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41033691/
👋 Excited to welcome Isabella to the E-Risk team!
She’s a PhD student at King’s College London, funded by ESRC LISS-DTP 🎓. Her research looks at how victimisation across childhood, adolescence & early adulthood affects mental health at age 30 🧠.
@kingsioppn.bsky.social
First up: our study of expressed emotion in over 1,000 families taking part in the @eriskstudy.bsky.social study. What does expressed emotion tell us the parent-child relationship? And how can we use it to help identify children and families that need early support?
In a study published in the #JournalofChildPsychologyAndPsychiatry @acamh.bsky.social of over 2000 twins in @eriskstudy.bsky.social, we found that expressed emotion expressed by mothers when the children were 10 years old predicted mental health outcomes at ages 12 and 18.
Young people are shaping the future of mental health research 🧠✨
The McPin Foundation’s Young People’s Advisory Group is working with us at E-Risk@30, bringing lived experience, insight, and creativity to every stage 💬🔍
@mcpinfoundation.bsky.social @mcpinypnetwork.bsky.social
Thrilled the E-Risk Study twins contributed to a landmark meta-analysis! 🧬
DNA methylation shows strong ties to major depression & immune system involvement 🧠💥
#MentalHealthResearch #Epigenetics #Depression #ERiskStudy #Neuroscience
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
