Background: Autism spectrum disorders (ASD), Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and other related neurodevelopmental problems (NDPs) might be potential risk factors for being sexually victimized, but few studies... [ view full abstract ]
Background: Autism spectrum disorders (ASD), Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and other related neurodevelopmental problems (NDPs) might be potential risk factors for being sexually victimized, but few studies has considered comorbidity of other NDPs or the potential mechanism behind association.
Methods: Using a genetically informative prospective design, we examined the association between ASD- and ADHD-symptoms in childhood and sexual victimization in adolescence, and the relative contributions of genetic and environmental factors to this association. Parent-reports of NDPs were attained at age 9/12 years and self-reported sexual victimization at age 18 for 5,597 children participating in The Child and Adolescent Twin Study in Sweden (CATSS). A bifactor model was used to control for NDP comorbidity. To analyze genetic and environmental contributions to observed associations, we applied a Cholesky decomposition.
Results: Parent-reported ASD-, inattention and hyperactivity symptoms in childhood significantly predicted self-reported sexual victimization in adolescence in both boys and girls. However, when controlling for overall NDP symptom load (operationalized as a general NDP factor), there were no unique effects of ASD-, impulsivity-, or inattention symptoms. A Cholesky decomposition revealed that the association between the NDP general factor and sexual victimization was due to shared genetics.
Conclusions: General NDP-symptom load, rather than specific ASD- or ADHD-traits, seems to be a risk factor for sexual victimization.
Developmental Disorders (e.g. ADHD)
