Gudjonsdottir Freydis J, Halldorsson Freyr, Ragnarsdottir Betty, Njardvik Urdur, Hannesdottir Dagmar Kr
Department of Psychology, University of Iceland, Saemundargata 12, Reykjavik, 102, Iceland.
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Landspitali-The National University Hospital of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland.
J Autism Dev Disord. 2024 Dec 21. doi: 10.1007/s10803-024-06682-y.
Children with neurodevelopmental disorders tend to have more social difficulties than typically developing children. The aim of the current study was to examine parent and teacher-reported effects of age and gender on social functioning in a large clinical sample of children and adolescents with ADHD, autism, or co-occurring ADHD and autism using a cross-sectional study design. This nationwide clinical sample included 2132 Icelandic children and adolescents (35% girls, 65% boys) aged 5-18 years referred for a neurodevelopmental diagnostic assessment (ADHD and/or autism) in Iceland. Social functioning was measured using the Prosocial behavior and Peer problem subscales on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) completed by parents and teachers. Results revealed that autistic youth and youth with co-occurring ADHD and autism experienced more peer problems and showed less prosocial behavior than youth with ADHD only. According to parents and teachers, girls were found to experience more social difficulties compared to boys. Interaction for age and gender, although only significant for teacher reports, indicated that younger girls with neurodevelopmental disorders experience more peer problems and show less prosocial behavior than older girls. In contrast, boys with neurodevelopmental disorders experience similar issues at all ages. The results suggest different patterns of social difficulties for boys and girls with neurodevelopmental disorders. Future research should examine different developmental pathways of social challenges for boys and girls. Implications for developing and providing clinical interventions appropriate developmental stages are discussed.
患有神经发育障碍的儿童往往比发育正常的儿童面临更多社交困难。本研究的目的是采用横断面研究设计，在患有注意力缺陷多动障碍（ADHD）、自闭症或同时患有ADHD和自闭症的儿童及青少年的大型临床样本中，考察家长和教师报告的年龄及性别对社交功能的影响。这个全国性的临床样本包括2132名冰岛儿童及青少年（35%为女孩，65%为男孩），年龄在5至18岁之间，他们因神经发育诊断评估（ADHD和/或自闭症）被转诊至冰岛。社交功能通过家长和教师填写的长处与困难问卷（SDQ）中的亲社会行为和同伴问题分量表来衡量。结果显示，患有自闭症的青少年以及同时患有ADHD和自闭症的青少年比仅患有ADHD的青少年经历更多同伴问题，且亲社会行为更少。根据家长和教师的报告，发现女孩比男孩面临更多社交困难。年龄与性别的交互作用，虽然仅在教师报告中显著，但表明患有神经发育障碍的年幼女孩比年长女孩经历更多同伴问题，且亲社会行为更少。相比之下，患有神经发育障碍的男孩在所有年龄段经历的问题相似。结果表明，患有神经发育障碍的男孩和女孩存在不同的社交困难模式。未来的研究应考察男孩和女孩社交挑战的不同发展路径。文中还讨论了针对不同发育阶段制定和提供临床干预措施的意义。
