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This exploratory study aimed to explore the association between depression and self-harming behaviour in adolescence and the timing of diagnosis for autism spectrum disorder. We analysed data on 11,320 14 year olds, including 396 children with autism spectrum disorder, from the UK Millennium Cohort Study. Exposures were the timing of diagnosis for autism spectrum disorder confirmed by parental report at ages 5, 7, 11 and 14. Outcomes were depression measured by the Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (scores [greater than or equal to] 12) and self-report of self-harming behaviour, both assessed at age 14. Data were analysed using multivariable regression analysis. 91% of the autism spectrum disorder group had within-typical-range cognitive ability. After adjusting for child and family confounders, there was a positive linear trend between diagnostic age and depression, with children diagnosed between ages 7 and 11 and children diagnosed after age 11 showing increased symptoms (odds ratio=2.21 and 3.58, respectively). A similar trend was observed for self-harming behaviour, with children diagnosed after age 11 showing the strongest association (odds ratio=3.16). These results suggest the importance of earlier diagnosis in preventing secondary mental health problems in this population, particularly among those without cognitive delays. Further studies replicating across a wider intellectual spectrum and clarifying the underlying mechanism are warranted.

This study aimed to identify determinants of a late autism spectrum disorder diagnosis, including diagnoses made 'very late' (i.e., in adolescence), using the Millennium Cohort Study, a nationally representative population-based cohort in the United Kingdom. Children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder by age 14 (N = 581) were included and grouped by the parent-reported timing of diagnosis: before school (up to age 5), during primary school (age 5-11) and during secondary school (age 11-14). Predictors of diagnostic timing, at the child, family and school levels, were investigated using multinomial logistic regression. Most (79%) children with autism spectrum disorder were diagnosed after school entry, and 28% were not diagnosed until secondary school. Among those not diagnosed until secondary school, 75% had been identified at age 5 years by a parent and/or teacher as having socio-behavioural difficulties. Being diagnosed after starting school was predicted by living in poverty (adjusted relative risk ratio: primary = 1.90, 95% confidence interval: 1.03-3.53; secondary = 2.15, 1.05-4.42) and/or having no initial parental concerns (primary = 0.32, 0.15-0.70; secondary = 0.19, 0.09-0.43). Having typical-range intelligence also predicted diagnosis during secondary school. The result indicates that those without cognitive delays and poorer children were at risk of 'very late' (i.e. adolescent) diagnosis. Strategies to promote earlier identification, targeting age at primary school entry, could help those more likely to be diagnosed late.

ObjectiveEarly puberty in girls is linked to some adverse outcomes in adolescence and mid-life. We address two research questions: (1) Are socioeconomic circumstances and ethnicity associated with early onset puberty? (2) Are adiposity and/or psychosocial stress associated with observed associations?DesignLongitudinal data on 5839 girls from the UK Millennium Cohort Study were used to estimate associations between ethnicity, family income, adiposity and psychosocial stress with a marker of puberty.Main outcome measureReported menstruation at age 11 years.ResultsAll quoted ORs are statistically significant. Girls in the poorest income quintile were twice as likely (OR=2.1), and the second poorest quintile nearly twice as likely (OR=1.9) to have begun menstruation compared with girls in the richest income quintile. Estimates were roughly halved on adjustment for Body Mass Index and markers of psychosocial stress (poorest, OR=1.5; second poorest, OR=1.5). Indian girls were over 3 times as likely compared with whites to have started menstruation (OR=3.5) and statistical adjustments did not attenuate estimates. The raised odds of menstruation for Pakistani (OR=1.9), Bangladeshi (OR=3.3) and black African (OR=3.0) girls were attenuated to varying extents, from about a third to a half, on adjustment for income and adiposity.ConclusionsIn contemporary UK, excess adiposity and psychosocial stress were associated with social inequalities in early puberty, while material disadvantage and adiposity were linked to ethnic inequalities in early puberty among girls.

This study investigates whether existing children in a fostering household differ from young people in non-caregiving households in the timing of their transitions to key adult roles, which are known to affect later health and life chances. Using data from the ONS Longitudinal Study, we pooled records from census years 1971–2001 and linked them to follow-up records from 1981–2011. We identified 2,656 children living with a foster child and compared their profiles on the 'big five' transitions to roles of adulthood – finishing school, leaving home, finding work and becoming financially independent, getting married, and having children – with those of other children without a foster child in the household (N = 209,453). We fitted logistic and multinomial models that controlled for childhood socioeconomic and demographic confounders to estimate the proportion achieving the five roles in early adulthood. When compared to those without a foster child in the household, a modest but reliably higher proportion of caregivers' children achieved the transition to adulthood. There was some evidence that caregivers' children might cope better with the transition to adulthood if they were older than the foster child or were female. The findings suggest that supporting foster parents with delaying their children's transition to adulthood could become part of the role of supervising social workers. Plain Language Summary: This study investigated whether children of foster carers differ from young people in non-caregiving households in the timing of their transitions to key adult roles, which are known to affect later health and life chances. We used data from the ONS Longitudinal Study, which contains information from censuses for the years 1971–2011 for a 1% sample of the general population of England and Wales. We identified 2,656 children living with a foster child and compared their profiles on the 'big five' transitions to the roles of adulthood – finishing school, leaving home, finding work and becoming financially independent, getting married, and having children – with those of 209,453 other children without a foster child in their home. We took account of differences in children's social, economic and demographic conditions in our statistical analyses. We found that a modest but reliably higher proportion of foster carers' children achieved the transition to adulthood before the age of 30 than the other children who did not live with any foster children. There was some evidence that foster carers' children might have a later transition to adulthood if they were older than the foster child or if they were female. Since it is early transitions to adulthood that are linked to poorer health and life chances later in life, the findings suggest that supervising social workers' roles could include supporting foster parents with delaying their children's transition to adulthood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to investigate the demographic distribution of selected health-related behaviors and their relationship with different indicators of well-being. The data come from Wave 1 of the youth panel of "Understanding Society" household panel study. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) measured socio-emotional difficulties. Markers of happiness in different life domains were combined to assess levels of happiness. Generally, younger youth participated in more health-protective behaviors, while older youth reported more health-risk behaviors. Higher consumption of fruit and vegetables and greater participation in sport were associated with higher odds of high happiness. Healthier eating was associated with lower odds of socio-emotional difficulties, while increased fast food consumption was associated with higher odds of socio-emotional difficulties. Smoking, drinking, and decreased sport participation were all associated with socio-emotional difficulties. Health-protective behaviors were associated with happiness, while health-risk behaviors were associated with socio-emotional difficulties.