Autistic traits in childhood and post-traumatic stress disorder as young adults: a cohort study.

IF 6.5 1区 医学 Q1 PSYCHIATRY
Alice M G Quinton, Freya Rumball, Angelica Ronald, Helen L Fisher, Louise Arseneault, Francesca Happé, Andrea Danese
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background: Despite the higher prevalence of childhood traumatic experiences and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in autistic adults, research on trauma-related psychopathology and autistic traits in young people is lacking. This study examined if high autistic traits in childhood predispose individuals to traumatic experiences, the development of PTSD and general psychopathology, and greater functional impairment by age 18, in both the general population and a subsample of trauma-exposed young people.

Methods: Data were utilised from the Environmental Risk (E-Risk) Longitudinal Twin Study, a nationally representative cohort of 2,232 same-sex twins born in 1994-1995 across England and Wales. Participants were a subset of children whose parents completed the Childhood Autism Spectrum Test (CAST), during assessments at ages 8, 9 and/or 12 years (N = 1,504). We tested associations between autistic traits in childhood and age-18 reports of lifetime trauma exposure, lifetime PTSD diagnosis, general psychopathology ('p-factor') and NEET status ('not in employment, education or training'). Analyses were conducted controlling for sex, family socioeconomic status (SES), intelligence quotient (IQ) and accounting for family clustering.

Results: Higher autistic traits in childhood were significantly associated with greater reports of lifetime trauma exposure (Odd Ratio [OR] = 1.26, 95% Confidence Intervals [CI] = 1.03; 1.54), lifetime PTSD diagnosis (OR = 1.91, 95% CI = 1.29; 2.82), general psychopathology (beta = 3.22, 95% CI = 1.84; 4.60) and NEET status (OR = 1.48, 95% CI = 1.05; 2.09) at age 18. Only the associations of autistic traits with PTSD and general psychopathology were robust to adjustment for potential confounders. Among trauma-exposed children, autistic traits were also significantly associated with lifetime PTSD diagnosis (OR = 1.75, 95% CI = 1.15; 2.68) and psychopathology (beta = 3.36, 95% CI = 0.68; 6.04) at age 18, but only the association with PTSD held when adjusted for confounders.

Conclusions: Our findings suggest a need to develop targeted assessments and evidence-based treatments for PTSD to meet the needs of children with high autistic traits. However, whether our findings extend to diagnosed autistic children requires further investigation.

青少年时期儿童和创伤后应激障碍的自闭症特征:一项队列研究。
背景:尽管自闭症成人中儿童创伤经历和创伤后应激障碍(PTSD)的患病率较高,但对青少年创伤相关精神病理学和自闭症特征的研究却很缺乏。这项研究调查了儿童时期的高自闭症特征是否会使个体更容易遭受创伤经历、PTSD和一般精神病理的发展,以及18岁时更严重的功能障碍,研究对象包括普通人群和经历过创伤的年轻人。方法:数据来自环境风险(E-Risk)纵向双胞胎研究,这是一项具有全国代表性的队列研究,包括英格兰和威尔士1994-1995年出生的2232对同性双胞胎。参与者是父母在8岁、9岁和/或12岁时完成儿童自闭症谱系测试(CAST)的儿童子集(N = 1,504)。我们测试了儿童时期的自闭症特征和18岁时终生创伤暴露报告、终生PTSD诊断、一般精神病理(“p因素”)和啃老族状态(“未就业、未接受教育或培训”)之间的联系。控制性别、家庭社会经济地位(SES)、智商(IQ)和家庭聚类因素进行分析。结果:儿童时期较高的自闭症特征与较多的终生创伤暴露报告显著相关(奇比[OR] = 1.26, 95%可信区间[CI] = 1.03;1.54),终生PTSD诊断(OR = 1.91, 95% CI = 1.29;2.82),一般精神病理学(β = 3.22, 95% CI = 1.84;4.60)和NEET状态(OR = 1.48, 95% CI = 1.05;2.09) 18岁。只有自闭症特征与创伤后应激障碍和一般精神病理的关联对潜在混杂因素的调整是稳健的。在创伤暴露儿童中,自闭症特征也与终生PTSD诊断显著相关(OR = 1.75, 95% CI = 1.15;2.68)和精神病理学(beta = 3.36, 95% CI = 0.68;6.04),但只有在调整混杂因素后,与PTSD的关系才成立。结论:我们的研究结果表明,有必要对PTSD进行有针对性的评估和循证治疗,以满足具有高自闭症特征的儿童的需求。然而,我们的发现是否适用于确诊的自闭症儿童还需要进一步的研究。
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来源期刊
CiteScore
13.80
自引率
5.30%
发文量
169
审稿时长
1 months
期刊介绍: The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry (JCPP) is a highly regarded international publication that focuses on the fields of child and adolescent psychology and psychiatry. It is recognized for publishing top-tier, clinically relevant research across various disciplines related to these areas. JCPP has a broad global readership and covers a diverse range of topics, including: Epidemiology: Studies on the prevalence and distribution of mental health issues in children and adolescents. Diagnosis: Research on the identification and classification of childhood disorders. Treatments: Psychotherapeutic and psychopharmacological interventions for child and adolescent mental health. Behavior and Cognition: Studies on the behavioral and cognitive aspects of childhood disorders. Neuroscience and Neurobiology: Research on the neural and biological underpinnings of child mental health. Genetics: Genetic factors contributing to the development of childhood disorders. JCPP serves as a platform for integrating empirical research, clinical studies, and high-quality reviews from diverse perspectives, theoretical viewpoints, and disciplines. This interdisciplinary approach is a key feature of the journal, as it fosters a comprehensive understanding of child and adolescent mental health. The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry is published 12 times a year and is affiliated with the Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health (ACAMH), which supports the journal's mission to advance knowledge and practice in the field of child and adolescent mental health.
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