Stability of bullying and internalizing problems among adolescents with ASD, ID, or typical development.
Leigh Ann Tipton-Fisler, Geovanna Rodriguez, Sasha M Zeedyk and 1 others
PMID 30015271WHAT IT FOUND
Adolescents with autism or intellectual disability reported less frequent bullying by age 15, but incidents were more severe and chronic.
Those with autism showed the highest internalizing symptoms, which predicted later victimization. Friendship quality declined across all groups, with those with disabilities reporting the lowest warmth and reciprocity.
Key findings
01While overall bullying frequency decreased from age 13 to 15 for adolescents with autism, the severity and chronicity of incidents remained high, particularly for those with intellectual disability.
02Higher levels of internalizing behavior problems at age 13, as reported by parents, predicted higher bullying victimization scores at age 15.
03Friendship quality declined across all groups from age 13 to 15, with adolescents with autism and intellectual disability reporting significantly lower warmth and reciprocity than typically developing peers.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
Self-report and parent-report data cannot guarantee all bullying incidents were captured. The study used a mixed-methods approach where qualitative interviews were coded quantitatively, which may limit the depth of understanding regarding the meaning of 'friendship' for participants with ID or ASD. Only two time points were used, which limits the ability to infer causality or understand the full trajectory of bullying and friendship development. The ASD group excluded individuals with concurrent intellectual disability, so findings may not generalize to those with co-occurring ASD and ID.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The study was supported by grants from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the National Institute of Mental Health.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the decrease in bullying frequency for adolescents with ASD as a sign of improved social safety. The data show that for those who continued to be bullied, the incidents were often more severe and chronic, and friendship quality declined across all groups.