Hughes, Thomas;
(2023)
Bullying, depression, and their role in the association between childhood autistic traits and adolescent disordered eating. A longitudinal cohort study.
Doctoral thesis (D.Clin.Psy), UCL (University College London).
Preview |
Text
Hughes_10176690_thesis_sig_removed.pdf Download (1MB) | Preview |
Abstract
AIMS: Autism may be a risk factor for disordered eating, but potential mechanisms underpinning this association are under-studied. I aimed to investigate whether experiences of bullying victimisation and depression mediate the association between autistic traits and disordered eating in a longitudinal birth cohort. METHODS: I used data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children to investigate whether bullying victimisation at age 10-years or depressive symptoms at age 12-years (1) were associated with disordered eating behaviours at age 14-years; (2) mediated the association between autistic traits at age 7 years and disordered eating at age 14-years. I used univariable and multivariable logistic regressions to investigate the first aim and causal mediation analysis with g-formula to investigate the second aim. Missing confounder and outcome data were imputed using multiple imputation with chained equations for participants with complete exposure data. RESULTS: A total of 7,784 participants (48.6% female) had data on autistic traits at age 7-years. In fully adjusted models bullying victimisation (odds ratio [OR]: 1.69, 95% confidence intervals [CI]: 1.19-2.40) and depressive symptoms (OR: 1.16, 95% CI: 1.12-1.19) were associated with increased odds of disordered eating behaviours. In causal mediation analyses, there was weak evidence to support a mediating role of bullying victimisation in the association (Natural indirect effect [NIE]: 0.00315, 95% CI: -0.00 to -0.01); there was no evidence to support a role of depression (NIE: 0.00085, 95% CI: -0.00 to 0.00). CONCLUSIONS: Bullying, a modifiable risk factor, may partially explain the association between autistic traits and disordered eating. Further research is required to develop understanding of this mechanism. Recommendations include school interventions focused on awareness of autism and prevention of bullying.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | D.Clin.Psy |
| Title: | Bullying, depression, and their role in the association between childhood autistic traits and adolescent disordered eating. A longitudinal cohort study |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © The Author 2023. Original content in this thesis is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Any third-party copyright material present remains the property of its respective owner(s) and is licensed under its existing terms. Access may initially be restricted at the author’s request. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences |
| URI: | https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10176690 |
Archive Staff Only
 |
View Item |
