The development of autistic social traits across childhood and adolescence in males and females
The development of autistic social traits across childhood and adolescence in males and females
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DOI：
10.1111/jcpp.12913
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发表时间：
2018-11-01
影响因子：
7.6
通讯作者：
Heron, Jon
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Mandy, William;Pellicano, Liz;Heron, Jon
背景资料：孤独症是一种多维度的状况，代表着贯穿整个人群的社会能力连续体的极端。目前，人们对自闭症社会特征（ASTs）在儿童和青少年时期的发展情况知之甚少，包括男孩和女孩之间是否存在发展差异。因此，我们试图绘制整个儿童和青少年时期一般人群中AST的轨迹，重点是性别差异。方法：参与者为来自ALSPAC（一项英国出生队列研究）的9，744名男性（n = 4，784）和女性（n = 4，960）。当参与者年龄为7岁，10岁，13岁和16岁时，使用父母报告的社会沟通障碍检查表对AST进行评估。使用潜在生长曲线分析对数据进行建模。结果如下：男性和女性的发展轨迹是非线性的，从7到10岁下降，然后在10和16岁之间增加。7年时，男性的AST水平高于女性（平均原始评分差异= 0.88，95% CI [0.72，1.04]），并且更有可能（比值比[OR] = 1.99; 95% CI，1.82，2.16）在SCDC的临床范围内评分。到16岁时，这种性别差异消失了：男性和女性平均具有相似的AST水平（平均差异= 0.00，95% CI [-0.19，0.19]），并且在SCDC的临床范围内评分的可能性相同（OR = 0.91，95% CI，0.73，1.10）。这是由于10至16岁之间女性的AST增加。结论：自闭症社交障碍有性别特异性的轨迹，女性比男性更容易在青春期早期和中期经历AST的升级。目前还有待发现，是否观察到的女性青少年增加AST代表真正的晚发病的社会困难或更早，微妙的，预先存在的困难变得更加明显。
Background: Autism is a dimensional condition, representing the extreme end of a continuum of social competence that extends throughout the general population. Currently, little is known about how autistic social traits (ASTs), measured across the full spectrum of severity, develop during childhood and adolescence, including whether there are developmental differences between boys and girls. Therefore, we sought to chart the trajectories of ASTs in the general population across childhood and adolescence, with a focus on gender differences. Methods: Participants were 9,744 males (n = 4,784) and females (n = 4,960) from ALSPAC, a UK birth cohort study. ASTs were assessed when participants were aged 7, 10, 13 and 16 years, using the parent-report Social Communication Disorders Checklist. Data were modelled using latent growth curve analysis. Results: Developmental trajectories of males and females were nonlinear, showing a decline from 7 to 10 years, followed by an increase between 10 and 16 years. At 7 years, males had higher levels of ASTs than females (mean raw score difference = 0.88, 95% CI [.72, 1.04]), and were more likely (odds ratio [OR] = 1.99; 95% CI, 1.82, 2.16) to score in the clinical range on the SCDC. By 16 years this gender difference had disappeared: males and females had, on average, similar levels of ASTs (mean difference = 0.00, 95% CI [-0.19, 0.19]) and were equally likely to score in the SCDC's clinical range (OR = 0.91, 95% CI, 0.73, 1.10). This was the result of an increase in females' ASTs between 10 and 16 years. Conclusions: There are gender-specific trajectories of autistic social impairment, with females more likely than males to experience an escalation of ASTs during early- and midadolescence. It remains to be discovered whether the observed female adolescent increase in ASTs represents the genuine late onset of social difficulties or earlier, subtle, pre-existing difficulties becoming more obvious.