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

SUBMITTER: Dawe-Lane EO 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12446692 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature