The Prevalence and Psychopathological Correlates of Sibling Bullying in Children with and without Autism Spectrum Disorder

Genetic influences on sibling bullying and mental health difficulties

BACKGROUND

Sibling bullying is associated with mental health difficulties; both in the short and long term. It is commonly assumed that sibling bullying leads to mental health difficulties but additional explanations for the relationship between the two are seldom investigated.

METHODS

To address this gap in knowledge, we used a genetically sensitive design with data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (maximum N = 3,959, 53% female). At ages 11-13 years, individuals self-reported their involvement in sibling bullying, as a victim and perpetrator, and parents reported on their child's mental health difficulties. Polygenic scores, indices of genetic risk for psychiatric disorders (major depressive disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) were computed using children's genetic data. Regression and structural equation models were fitted to the data.

RESULTS

Sibling bullying, victimisation and perpetration, and polygenic scores both predicted mental health difficulties in an additive manner but there was no interaction between them. Polygenic scores for mental health difficulties were also associated with sibling bullying.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that sibling bullying, victimisation and perpetration, is associated with mental health difficulties, even after accounting for some genetic effects. Additionally, the relationship between sibling bullying and mental health difficulties may be, at least partly, due to shared genetic aetiology. One possibility is that genetic risk for mental health difficulties influences the onset of mental health difficulties which in turn make children more susceptible to sibling bullying.

Comprehension of irony in autistic children: The role of theory of mind and executive function

Although previous studies have examined irony comprehension in autistic children and potential impact factors, the relationship between theory of mind (ToM), executive function (EF), symptoms of autism, and comprehension of irony in this population remains largely unknown. This study explored irony comprehension in autistic children and examined the roles of ToM and EF in linking autism symptoms to deficits in irony comprehension. Twenty autistic children were compared with 25 typically developing (TD) children in an irony story picture task, ToM task, and EF task. The results showed that autistic children had impaired comprehension of irony compared with TD children, and performance on ironic stories showed a significant moderate discriminatory effect in predicting autistic children. A ToM deficit has also been proposed for autistic children. Comprehension of irony was significantly correlated with second-order ToM (2nd ToM) but was not significantly correlated with any components of EF. Moreover, 2nd ToM can predict the level of irony comprehension and mediate the relationship between symptoms of autism and irony comprehension. Taken together, these findings suggest that irony comprehension may offer a potential cognitive marker for quantifying syndrome manifestations in autistic children, and 2nd ToM may provide insight into the theoretical mechanism underlying the deficit in irony comprehension in this population.

A longitudinal study of sibling bullying and mental health in autistic adolescents: The role of self-esteem

Sibling bullying is associated with poor mental health in autistic adolescents. The reasons for this remain unknown. In the current study, we attempted to replicate the existing findings on the direct associations between sibling bullying and mental health in autistic adolescents and expand knowledge by focusing on the indirect associations through self-esteem. We made use of existing data from the Millennium Cohort Study, a nationally representative UK-based birth cohort study. We fitted a mediation model to longitudinal data from a sample of 416 autistic adolescents aged 11, 14, and 17 years old who had at least one sibling. We found that sibling bullying was prevalent in the lives of autistic adolescents, especially in those who were late-diagnosed, had a shared bedroom, and lived in a low-income household. Additionally, increased sibling bullying in early adolescence was a significant predictor of reduced self-esteem in mid-adolescence; in turn, reduced self-esteem predicted poorer mental health and wellbeing in late adolescence. Our findings indicate that sibling bullying in early adolescence may indirectly lead to poorer mental health and wellbeing in late adolescence through a reduction in self-esteem in mid-adolescence in autistic adolescents. We discuss the implications of these findings further.

A longitudinal study of the mental health of autistic children and adolescents and their parents during COVID-19: Part 1, quantitative findings

LAY ABSTRACT

Autistic children and adolescents, and their parents/carers, tend to experience more symptoms of anxiety and depression compared to those with other special educational needs and disabilities. The rapid change in society as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to have disproportionately affected autistic young people and their parents/carers. We investigated how the mental health of autistic young people, and their parents/carers, developed during the first lockdown in the United Kingdom and how it changed once schools fully reopened for face-to-face teaching approximately 6 months later. Parents/carers completed online standardised questionnaires about their own and their child's mental health at four time points between March 2020 and October 2020. We found that, throughout this period, autistic young people experienced more symptoms of anxiety and depression compared to those with other special educational needs and disabilities. Anxiety levels decreased as lockdown progressed and schools reopened for face-to-face teaching but only for those with other special educational needs and disabilities. For autistic young people, both anxiety and depression symptoms remained high throughout. There were no differences in the mental health of parents/carers of autistic children compared to those with other special educational needs and disabilities. These findings suggest that the mental health of autistic children and adolescents is likely to have been disproportionately affected during and after the first lockdown in the United Kingdom. In the second part of this article (Asbury & Toseeb, 2022), we attempt to explain these trends using qualitative data provided by parents during the same period.

Does Bullying Occur behind Closed Doors? Agreement of Bullying Reports between Parents and Children and Its Differential Associations with Child Outcomes

The present study was aimed at examining the level of agreement between parent and child perceptions of sibling and peer bullying (victimization and perpetration), and investigating whether any differential associations with child emotional and conduct problems could be identified across raters. The actor-partner interdependence model (APIM) was utilized in order to statistically account for the non-independence of the parent-child dyad. The study was based on a sample of 142 parent-child dyads (children: M_age = 12.3 years; parents: M_age = 44.4 years) and employed an online survey design. Bullying experiences and child outcomes were assessed via parent- and self-report. Intraclass correlation analysis revealed a moderate level of agreement between parent- and child-reports of sibling and peer bullying victimization. Low to moderate levels of parent-child agreement emerged for sibling perpetration and low agreement for peer perpetration. Moreover, APIMs found that parent- and child-reports of bullying were differentially associated with child adjustment. The results of this study suggest that child- and parent data each add additional and unique information into the big picture. Thus, our findings argue for the utility of integrating parent and child perspectives simultaneously in research and clinical practice, in order to uncover the complex reality of child functioning in the context of the family system.

Bullying experiences and mothers’ responses to bullying of children with autism spectrum disorder

Despite the fact that children with disabilities generally have been shown to be at a greater risk of bullying, which include physical attacks and threats, being picked on and teased and verbal abuse, there is still a need to understand bullying of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and the strategies used by parents to support them in tackling this issue. This study aims to investigate the type and level of occurrence of bullying and parental support for children aged five with ASD who suffer from bullying. This study used both quantitative and qualitative analysis; a questionnaire, distributed to mothers of children with ASD, adopted from the Bullying for ASD Survey developed by Chen and Schwartz (Focus Autism Other Dev Disabil 27(4):200–212, 2012) measured types and frequency of bullying and parental support. An open-ended question was added to the survey to enable parents to write about the ways in which their child was bullied and the ways in which they supported their child. The results showed that while children suffered from all types of bullying, especially being picked on, being excluded and called names. Parental support showed a higher prevalence of involving peers and teachers for the prevention of bullying as well as avoiding strategies which included avoiding bullies and none of the mothers encouraged their children to stand up to bullies.

Prevalence and Associated Family Factors of Sibling Bullying Among Chinese Children and Adolescents

Sibling bullying is the most common form of aggression within family worldwide, while the prevalence and correlations of sibling bullying is little known in China. The current research focused on the association between family factors and sibling bullying among Chinese adolescents, and explore sex differences in sibling bullying in the context of Chinese culture. A cross-sectional study was conducted to explore the characteristics of sibling bullying by sampling 6302 children and adolescents who had at least 1 sibling living in the household. Of the participants, 1827 (29.0%) were involved in sibling bullying over the past half year, and pure victims, pure bullies, and bully-victims were 486 (7.7%), 510 (8.1%), and 831 (13.2%), respectively. Family factors of sibling bullying were partly different between boys and girls. Parental absence of both father and mother was a risk factor of being a pure bully and a bully-victim for boys, and of being a pure victim for girls. Parental son preference increased the odds of being a pure victim and a bully-victim for boys, and of being all roles of sibling bullying involvement for girls. Besides, parent–parent violence, parent–child violence, and living with a single parent were risk factors of sibling bullying. The results underline the importance of home environment on sibling relationship, and intervention of sibling bullying should include improving family climate.

Sibling conflict during COVID-19 in families with special educational needs and disabilities

Young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SENDs) and their families have been particularly hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. In this longitudinal study, sibling conflict in these families during and after the first lockdown in the United Kingdom was investigated. Online questionnaires were completed by 504 parents of young people with SENDs at four time points between 23 March 2020 and 10 October 2020 (over half completed the questionnaire at multiple time points). As lockdown progressed, young people with SENDs were more likely to be picked on or hurt by their siblings compared with earlier stages of the lockdown but there was no change in how frequently they harmed or picked on their siblings. After lockdown, both perpetration and victimization decreased but not to the same rates as the first month of lockdown. Young people with SENDs with severe or complex needs were somewhat protected from sibling conflict. Findings are discussed with reference to implications for support and planning for future pandemics.

Sibling bullying among Vietnamese children: the relation with peer bullying and subjective well-being

BACKGROUND

Siblings play an important role in a child's life. However, many children often experience sibling bullying. This study investigates differences in sibling victimization by sex, age, a parent's absence from the home due to employment, or a child's privacy and the relationship between sibling victimization, peer victimization, and the child's well-being.

PARTICIPANTS AND PROCEDURE

Participants were Vietnamese children participating in the third wave of the International Survey of Children's Well-Being. The study included 1537 children (811 boys and 726 girls) attending public schools, age 10-14 years (M = 11.29, SD = 1.15).

RESULTS

The results show that over half of children with siblings in this study reported being victimized by a sibling. Younger children were bullied more often than older children. Children whose father worked away from home reported an increase in bullying behavior from their siblings. Children sharing a room with siblings reported being bullied more by siblings.

CONCLUSIONS

The results indicated a positive correlation between sibling victimization and peer victimization and a negative relationship between being bullied and a child's subjective well-being.

Play-based interventions for mental health: A systematic review and meta-analysis focused on children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder and developmental language disorder

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Play-based interventions are used ubiquitously with children with social, communication, and language needs but the impact of these interventions on the mental health of this group of children is unknown. Despite their pre-existing challenges, the mental health of children with developmental language disorder (DLD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) should be given equal consideration to the other more salient features of their condition. To this aim, a systematic literature review with meta-analysis was undertaken to assess the impact of play-based interventions on mental health outcomes from studies of children with DLD and ASD, as well as to identify the characteristics of research in this field.

METHODS

The study used full systematic review design reported to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines (PRISMA prisma-statement.org) with pre-specified inclusion criteria and explicit, transparent and replicable methods at each stage of the review. The study selection process involved a rigorous systematic search of seven academic databases, double screening of abstracts, and full-text screening to identify studies using randomised controlled trial (RCT) and quasi-experimental (QE) designs to assess mental health outcomes from interventions supporting children with DLD and ASD. For reliability, data extraction of included studies, as well as risk of bias assessments were conducted by two study authors. Qualitative data were synthesised narratively and quantified data were used in the metaanalytic calculation.

MAIN CONTRIBUTION

A total of 2,882 papers were identified from the literature search which were double screened at the abstract (n  =  1,785) and full-text (n  =  366) levels resulting in 10 papers meeting the criteria for inclusion in the review. There were 8 RCTs and 2 QEs using 7 named play-based interventions with ASD participants only. Meta-analysis of 5 studies addressing positive mental health outcomes (e.g. positive affect and emotional functioning) found a significant overall intervention effect (Cohen's d = 1.60 (95% CI [0.37, 2.82], p = 0.01); meta-analysis of 6 studies addressing negative mental health outcomes (e.g., negative affect, internalising and externalising problems) found a non-significant overall intervention effect (Cohen's d = 0.04 -0.17 (95% CI [-0.04, 0.51], p = 0.88).

CONCLUSIONS

A key observation is the diversity of study characteristics relating to study sample size, duration of interventions, study settings, background of interventionists, and variability of specific mental health outcomes. Play-based interventions appear to have a beneficial effect on positive, but not negative, mental health in children with ASD. There are no high quality studies investigating the efficacy of such interventions in children with DLD.

IMPLICATIONS

This review provides good evidence of the need for further research into how commonly used play-based interventions designed to support the social, communication, and language needs of young people may impact the mental health of children with ASD or DLD.

Experiential modulation of social dominance in a SYNGAP1 rat model of Autism Spectrum Disorders

Advances in the understanding of developmental brain disorders such as autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are being achieved through human neurogenetics such as, for example, identifying de novo mutations in SYNGAP1 as one relatively common cause of ASD. A recently developed rat line lacking the calcium/lipid binding (C2) and GTPase activation protein (GAP) domain may further help uncover the neurobiological basis of deficits in children with ASD. This study focused on social dominance in the tube test using Syngap+/Δ-GAP (rats heterozygous for the C2/GAP domain deletion) as alterations in social behaviour are a key facet of the human phenotype. Male animals of this line living together formed a stable intra-cage hierarchy, but they were submissive when living with wild-type (WT) cage-mates, thereby modelling the social withdrawal seen in ASD. The study includes a detailed analysis of specific behaviours expressed in social interactions by WT and mutant animals, including the observation that when the Syngap+/Δ-GAP mutants that had been living together had separate dominance encounters with WT animals from other cages, the two higher ranking Syngap+/Δ-GAP rats remained dominant whereas the two lower ranking mutants were still submissive. Although only observed in a small subset of animals, these findings support earlier observations with a rat model of Fragile X, indicating that their experience of winning or losing dominance encounters has a lasting influence on subsequent encounters with others. Our results highlight and model that even with single-gene mutations, dominance phenotypes reflect an interaction between genotypic and environmental factors.

Sibling Bullying: A Prospective Longitudinal Study of Associations with Positive and Negative Mental Health during Adolescence

Sibling bullying is associated with poor mental health outcomes, but the relevance of specific bullying roles remains unclear. Data from a population-based study (n = 17,157, 48% female) focusing on early (11 years), middle (14 years), and late (17 years) adolescence were analyzed. Associations between sibling bullying roles in early adolescence and positive and negative mental health outcomes in late adolescence were investigated. Generally, bullying, irrespective of role, was associated with poorer mental health outcomes in late adolescence. As the frequency of bullying victimization increased between early and middle adolescence so did the severity of mental health outcomes in late adolescence. The developmental trajectories of externalizing problems were influenced by bullying in early adolescence. Sibling bullying, irrespective of role, is associated with poor mental health outcomes.

Precursors of sibling bullying in middle childhood: Evidence from a UK-based longitudinal cohort study

BACKGROUND

There is increasing evidence that sibling bullying is associated with various social, emotional, and mental health difficulties. It is, however, unclear which factors predict sibling bullying in middle childhood and whether child-level individual differences make some children more susceptible to sibling bullying involvement.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the precursors of sibling bullying in middle childhood in a UK based population sample.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

Existing data from the prospective Millennium Cohort Study (N = 16,987) were used. Primary caregivers reported on precursors (child age 7 years or earlier) whilst children self-reported on sibling bullying (child age 11 years).

ANALYSIS

A series of multinomial logistic regression models were fitted. First, testing for crude associations between sibling bullying and the precursors individually. Culminating in a final model with the significant predictors from all of the previous models.

RESULTS

Structural family-level characteristics (e.g. birth order, ethnicity, and number of siblings) were found to be the strongest predictors of sibling bullying involvement followed by child-level individual differences (e.g. emotional dysregulation and sex). Parenting and parental characteristics (e.g. primary caregiver self-esteem and harsh parenting) predicted sibling bullying, but to a lesser extent.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that structural family characteristics and child-level individual differences are the most important risk factors for sibling bullying. If causality can be established in future research, they highlight the need for interventions to be two-pronged: aimed at parents, focusing on how to distribute their time and resources appropriately to all children, and the children themselves, targeting specific sibling bullying behaviors.

Cross-lagged model of bullying victimization and mental health problems in children with autism in middle to older childhood

LAY ABSTRACT

Youth with autism spectrum disorders are disproportionately at risk for bullying victimization compared to typically developing children and adolescents. While internalizing and externalizing mental health problems have been linked to victimization experiences, few studies have examined the longitudinal effects bullying victimization experiences may have on youth mental health outcomes. The present study investigated longitudinal associations between bullying victimization and mental health problems in a sample of children with autism in middle childhood to early adolescence (aged 5 to 12 years). Findings from our study suggest that youth with autism who experienced bullying victimization (versus no victimization) were older in age, had more severe autism symptoms, and higher levels of internalizing and externalizing mental health problems at study onset. Though externalizing mental health problems at study onset (Time 1) did not relate to change in the likelihood of being bullied one year later (Time 2), experiences of bullying victimization did relate to an increase in parent reports of internalizing mental health problems. This study expanded on previous cross-sectional studies by including two waves of data in a relatively large sample of youth with autism and highlights important information that may be helpful in adapting approaches to intervention at the individual level. Moreover, our findings support the need for bullying programs that may need to focus particular attention to subgroups of youth with autism who may be most at-risk for bullying victimization such as those with more autism symptoms and those with past experiences of victimization (given the chronic nature of bullying).

Sibling Bullying in Middle Childhood is Associated with Psychosocial Difficulties in Early Adolescence: The Case of Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Sibling bullying is associated with various psychosocial difficulties. We investigated this in 231 individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and 8180 without ASD between middle childhood (age 11 years) and early adolescence (age 14 years). On the whole, self-reported sibling bullying decreased from middle childhood to early adolescence. Despite this, individuals with ASD continued to report more sibling bullying as both perpetrator and victim in early adolescence than those without ASD. We found that self-report sibling bullying in middle childhood was associated with psychosocial difficulties in early adolescence. Moreover, individuals with ASD were more likely to report being bullied by both siblings and peers in middle childhood and this pattern of victimisation was associated with concurrent and longitudinal psychosocial difficulties.

Peer's pragmatic language outcomes following a peer-mediated intervention for children with autism: A randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Peer-mediated pragmatic language interventions can be of benefit to children with autism as they simultaneously target an individual child's pragmatic language skills and contextual factors related to social interactions. However, little is known about peer outcomes following peer-mediated interventions.

AIMS

This study evaluated the pragmatic language outcomes for typically-developing (TD) playmates who participated in a peer-mediated intervention for children with autism.

METHODS

Dyads (child with autism and TD-playmate; n = 71) were randomised to a treatment-first or waitlisted-first comparison group. Dyads attended 10 clinic play-sessions with a therapist and parents mediated home-practice. The Pragmatics Observational Measure 2nd edition (POM-2), and Social Emotional Evaluation (SEE) evaluated pragmatics before, after and 3-months following the intervention.

RESULTS

Changes in both outcomes measures were equivalent for intervention-first and waitlisted TD-playmates, but all TD-playmates made significant gains in pragmatics following the intervention. Treatment effects maintained for 3-months (p < 0.001-0.014, d = 0.22-0.63), were equivalent in different environments (clinic and home). Peer relationship type and therapist profession mediated POM-2 scores across the study, while expressive language ability moderated SEE scores.

CONCLUSIONS

This peer-mediated intervention had a positive impact on TD-playmate's pragmatic language capacity and performance.

Association Between Sub-types of Sibling Bullying and Mental Health Distress Among Chinese Children and Adolescents

Sibling bullying is a common phenomenon in childhood and adolescence worldwide and has a significant association with mental health distress. However, there have been few studies that have examined the associations between any specific sub-type of sibling bullying and depression as well as anxiety. Besides, the association between sibling bullying and psychological well-being was never explored among the Chinese population. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to examine the associations between the number of sub-types of sibling bullying involvement and depression as well as anxiety among Chinese children and adolescents. Multi-stage stratified cluster sampling was used to recruit 5,926 participants aged 10 to 18 who had at least one sibling living in the household. Different sub-types of sibling bullying involvement were determined by using Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire (OBVQ). The nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and the seven-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) were used to screen clinical ranges of major depression and generalized anxiety disorder, respectively. Of the participants, 1,235 (20.8%) were bullied by siblings, and 1,230 (20.8%) perpetrated bullying behavior against siblings over the past 6 months. After controlling potential confounders, adjusted model of logistic regression analyses indicated that all three sub-types of sibling victimization and perpetration were significantly associated with both depression and anxiety. There were linear associations between the number of sub-types of sibling bullying victimization and depression (adjusted OR = 1.49, 95% CI 1.32 to 1.68) as well as anxiety (adjusted OR = 1.68, 95% CI 1.48 to 1.90). Besides, linear trends were found between the number of sub-types of sibling bullying perpetration and depression (adjusted OR = 1.44, 95% CI 1.26 to 1.64) as well as anxiety (adjusted OR = 1.63, 95% CI 1.42 to 1.87). The findings underline dose-response relationships between the number of sub-types of sibling bullying involvement and mental health distress. Intervention programs should be conducted to focus on developing mental health status of those children and adolescents who are involved in multiple sub-types of sibling victimization or perpetration.

The Independent and Cumulative Effects of Sibling and Peer Bullying in Childhood on Depression, Anxiety, Suicidal Ideation, and Self-Harm in Adulthood

Sibling and peer bullying are reported as the most frequent forms of violence experienced across childhood. There is now ample evidence indicating an association between sibling and peer bullying, with those reporting sibling bullying at an increased risk of peer bullying. While there is convincing evidence of a causative association between peer bullying and a range of mental health outcomes, sibling bullying continues to receive far less attention. The aim of this study was to explore whether sibling bullying roles (non-involved, victim, bully-victim, bully) in middle childhood were independently associated with clinical diagnoses of depression and anxiety and reports of suicidal ideation and self-harm in early adulthood. We further tested whether there was a cumulative relationship between involvement in sibling and peer bullying victimization. This study was based on up to 3,881 youth from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, a prospective birth-cohort based in the United Kingdom. Sibling and peer bullying was assessed via self-report when youth were 12 years of age, while depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, and self-harm were assessed via self-administered computerized interviews at 24 years of age. Involvement as a sibling bully-victim was associated with clinical diagnosis of depression (OR = 1.91, 95% CI: 1.33-2.72), while sibling victims were at increased odds of both suicidal ideation (OR = 1.52; 95% CI, 1.16-1.98) as well as suicidal self-harm (OR = 2.20, 95% CI, 1.36-3.58) in early adulthood, even after accounting for concurrent peer bullying and a range of other pre-existing childhood confounders. Sibling and peer bullying were further associated in a homotypic manner. A dose-response relationship of bullying in the home and school across mental health outcomes was found. Youth victimized by both their siblings and peers displayed the highest odds of developing clinical depression, suicidal ideation, and self-harm. Children bullied at home and at school had no safe place to escape the bullying and torment. Our findings highlight the need for intervention studies tailored toward reducing sibling bullying, as these may hold large promise for alleviating a range of adverse outcomes, including the prevention of peer bullying, which may be contingent on early bullying experiences in the home environment.