TY - JOUR
T1 - Psychiatric conditions in autistic adolescents
T2 - longitudinal stability from childhood and associated risk factors
AU - Hollocks, Matthew J.
AU - Leno, Virginia Carter
AU - Chandler, Susie
AU - White, Pippa
AU - Yorke, Isabel
AU - Charman, Tony
AU - Pickles, Andrew
AU - Baird, Gillian
AU - Simonoff, Emily
N1 - Funding Information:
The original QUEST sample was funded by Clothworkers' Foundation, brokered by Research Autism (R011217 Autism M10 2011/12). The IAMHealth research programme was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) under its Programme Grants for Applied Research programme (ES: RP-PG-1211–20016). The authors also acknowledge funding from NIHR Senior Investigator Awards (ES: NF-SI-0514-10073, AP: NF-SI-0617-10120), and a Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellowship (VCL: 213608/Z/18/Z). The study was partially supported through the NIHR Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust in partnership with King’s College London.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022, The Author(s).
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - Autistic people experience high rates of co-occurring psychiatric diagnoses. Current prevalence estimates vary considerably due to an over-reliance on clinical cohorts and the longitudinal stability of diagnoses from childhood into adolescence is poorly understood. This study aims to provide prevalence rates of co-occurring DSM-5 psychiatric diagnosis for autistic adolescence and investigate, for the first time, the stability of diagnoses from childhood. Using a longitudinal stratified sample of autistic youth (N = 77; 13–17 years; 60% male), selected from a larger community-derived sample of those with pre-existing autism diagnoses (N = 277) weighted prevalence estimates of emotional (anxiety, depression), behavioural (oppositional and conduct disorders) and ADHD diagnoses were calculated based on semi-structured psychiatric interview. Prediction of adolescent psychiatric diagnosis based on childhood diagnostic status, sex, childhood IQ (both assessed at age 4–10 years) was tested. Emotional and behavioural disorders in adolescence were particularly prevalent, and significantly predicted by childhood disorder status. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity-disorder (ADHD) was prevalent but not predicted by childhood ADHD diagnosis. Neither sex nor childhood IQ predicted diagnostic outcomes. Autistic youth have high levels of co-occurring psychiatric conditions, which are broadly persistent across childhood and adolescence. Emotional disorders are particularly prevalent and remain persistent from childhood to adolescence. Greater diagnostic variability was found for ADHD with more adolescents moving across diagnostic thresholds.
AB - Autistic people experience high rates of co-occurring psychiatric diagnoses. Current prevalence estimates vary considerably due to an over-reliance on clinical cohorts and the longitudinal stability of diagnoses from childhood into adolescence is poorly understood. This study aims to provide prevalence rates of co-occurring DSM-5 psychiatric diagnosis for autistic adolescence and investigate, for the first time, the stability of diagnoses from childhood. Using a longitudinal stratified sample of autistic youth (N = 77; 13–17 years; 60% male), selected from a larger community-derived sample of those with pre-existing autism diagnoses (N = 277) weighted prevalence estimates of emotional (anxiety, depression), behavioural (oppositional and conduct disorders) and ADHD diagnoses were calculated based on semi-structured psychiatric interview. Prediction of adolescent psychiatric diagnosis based on childhood diagnostic status, sex, childhood IQ (both assessed at age 4–10 years) was tested. Emotional and behavioural disorders in adolescence were particularly prevalent, and significantly predicted by childhood disorder status. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity-disorder (ADHD) was prevalent but not predicted by childhood ADHD diagnosis. Neither sex nor childhood IQ predicted diagnostic outcomes. Autistic youth have high levels of co-occurring psychiatric conditions, which are broadly persistent across childhood and adolescence. Emotional disorders are particularly prevalent and remain persistent from childhood to adolescence. Greater diagnostic variability was found for ADHD with more adolescents moving across diagnostic thresholds.
KW - Adolescence
KW - Autism
KW - Comorbidity
KW - Longitudinal
KW - QUEST
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85136231166&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s00787-022-02065-9
DO - 10.1007/s00787-022-02065-9
M3 - Article
C2 - 35976471
AN - SCOPUS:85136231166
SN - 1018-8827
JO - European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
JF - European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
ER -
