Happiness, self-esteem, and prosociality in children with and without autism spectrum disorder: Evidence from a UK population cohort study

Abstract Objective This study aimed to determine whether neonatal hyperbilirubinemia is associated with a risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) using a large population-based cohort. Study Design This retrospective cohort study used data from the children's database (2000–2012) of the National Health Insurance Research Database (1996–2012) in Taiwan. We included neonates who were born between 2000 and 2004 and aged <1 month diagnosed with and without hyperbilirubinemia. The primary outcome was physician-diagnosed ASD. At the end of 2012, multivariate Cox's regression analysis was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs). Results A total of 67,017 neonates were included. The neonates with hyperbilirubinemia were associated with 1.28-fold increased risk of ASD (HR = 1.28, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.05–1.57) compared with those without hyperbilirubinemia. In subanalysis to determine how phototherapy and exchange transfusion treatment for hyperbilirubinemia were associated with ASD showed no association between treatment and ASD, suggesting the lack of a dose-response effect of hyperbilirubinemia on the risk of ASD. Boys had a nearly six-fold higher risk of ASD than girls (HR = 5.89, 95% CI: 4.41–7.86). Additionally, neonates born with preterm birth and low birth weight were associated with a risk of ASD (HR = 1.46, 95% CI: 1.00–2.13). Conclusion We did not observe a dose-response effect of hyperbilirubinemia on ASD, but neonatal hyperbilirubinemia may be an independent risk factor for ASD if there is a residual confounding by other perinatal complications. Therefore, this study does not support a causal link between neonatal hyperbilirubinemia exposure and the risk of ASD.

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Psychiatric disorders diagnosed in adolescence and subsequent long-term exclusion from education, employment or training: longitudinal national birth cohort study

The British Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1192/bjp.2021.146 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-6

Author(s):

Ida Ringbom ◽

Jaana Suvisaari ◽

Antti Kääriälä ◽

Andre Sourander ◽

Mika Gissler ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Cohort Study ◽

Psychiatric Disorders ◽

Birth Cohort ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Birth Cohort Study ◽

Comprehensive Overview ◽

Important Indicator

Background Long-term ‘not in education, employment or training’ (NEET) status is an important indicator of youth marginalisation. Aims To carry out a comprehensive overview of the associations between different psychiatric illnesses and long-term NEET status. Method We used the register-based 1987 Finnish Birth Cohort study, which includes all live births in Finland during that year. The analyses comprised 55 273 individuals after exclusions for intellectual disability, death or emigration. We predicted that psychiatric disorders, diagnosed by specialist services between 1998 and 2007 when the cohort were 10–20 years of age, would be associated with subsequent long-term NEET (defined as NEET for at least 5 years between 2008 and 2015, when they were 20–28 years of age). Results In total, 1438 individuals (2.6%) were long-term NEET during follow-up and the associations between long-term NEET and the 11 diagnostic categories we studied were statistically significant (P < 0.001). In multivariate models we included sociodemographic characteristics and upper secondary education as covariates, and the highest effect sizes, measured by odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI), were found for psychosis (OR = 12.0, 95% CI 9.5–15.2) and autism spectrum disorder (OR = 17.3, 95% CI 11.5–26.0). If individuals had not successfully completed this education, 70.6% of those with autism spectrum disorder and 48.4% of those with psychosis were later long-term NEET. Conclusions Adolescents who receive treatment for psychiatric disorders, particularly autism spectrum disorder or psychosis, need support to access education and employment. This could help to prevent marginalisation in early adulthood.

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