Emotion and peer problems in autistic adolescents: The role of puberty, school adjustment and bullying

Abstract

Background

Emotion and peer problems tend to increase in autistic young people during adolescence. However, the extent to which endogenous (e.g., pubertal maturation) and exogenous (e.g., school adjustment, bullying) factors contribute to trajectories of emotion and peer problems in autistic young people is unclear.

Methods

Using data from the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS), we fitted latent growth curves to model initial levels and growth in emotion and peer problems during adolescence. We used generalised structural equation models to investigate whether pubertal maturation, school adjustment, bullying, and timing of autism diagnosis (none, early [<8 years] or late [≥8 years]) predict initial levels and growth of emotion and peer problems in autistic and non-autistic young people, separately for males (n = 780) and females (n = 172).

Results

In females, there were significant interactions between timing of diagnosis and (a) school adjustment and (b) bullying. In females with a late diagnosis of autism, lower school adjustment and greater bullying were associated with greater growth of emotion problems during adolescence. Furthermore, in females with an early diagnosis, lower school adjustment was associated with greater initial levels of peer problems. In males, later pubertal maturation was associated with greater growth of emotion and peer problems during adolescence, irrespective of autism diagnosis. In males with an early diagnosis of autism, greater bullying was associated with greater growth of emotion problems during adolescence.

Conclusion

School adjustment and bullying were associated with increasing emotion and peer problems in autistic adolescents, but their relative contribution varied according to timing of autism diagnosis and sex. Overall, this study supports the need for early identification and intervention for young autistic people experiencing poor school adjustment and bullying during adolescence.