TABLE 2.
Characteristics of population-based longitudinal studies.
| Population based studies | |||||||
| Longitudinal | |||||||
| Author/s | Year | Country | N | Age when SC measured | Age when mental health measured | SC measure/s | Results |
| Rice et al. (26) | 2019 | England | 7,543 | 7 years | 10.64 (SD = 0.25) and 18.65 (SD = 0.49) | CCC (stand.; par.) SCDC (stand.; par.) | Significantly higher rates of childhood SC and pragmatic language problems were identified in individuals with early adolescence onset of depression, compared to those with later adolescence onset (SC: OR = 0.68; Pragmatic difficulties: OR = 1.31) |
| Sullivan et al. (28) | 2017 | England | 7,058 | 7, 10, 13, 16 years | 12 and 18 | SCDC (stand.; par.) | SC abilities at ages 7 and 10 were significantly associated with depressive symptoms at 12 years (OR = 1.22), and SC abilities at ages 13 and 16 were significantly associated with depressive symptoms at 18 years (OR = 1.21), even after controlling for sociodemographic variables (including IQ) and autism traits. |
| Sullivan et al. (27) | 2016 | England | 7,659 | 9 years | 12 and 18 | CCC (stand.; par.) | Poorer pragmatic language at age 9 was associated with depression at age 18 (OR = 1.10). Poorer expressive speech and language abilities were not associated with depression at either age. |
| Riglin et al. (29) | 2016 | England | 6,664 | 7–9 years | 3.9, 6.8, 8.1, 9.6, 11.7, 13.1, and 16.5 years | CCC (stand.; par.) SCDC (stand.; par.) |
The persistent ADHD trajectory from 4 to 17 years was significantly associated with multimorbidity: within this group 53.1% had SC problems, 27.8% had pragmatic language impairments, 24.1% had low IQ, and 42% had conduct problems in childhood. |
| Law et al. (30) | 2015 | England | 2,915 | 9 years | 13 years | CCC (stand.; par.) | Pragmatic language skills partly mediated the association between social disadvantage and adolescent behavior (emotional and behavioral) in middle childhood, even after controlling for sex, age, and IQ. |
| Oliver et al. (31) | 2011 | England | 6,074 | 9 years | 4, 7, 8, 10, 12, and 13 years | CCC (stand.; par.) SCDC (stand.; par.) |
SC difficulties were significantly greater in all conduct-problems groups, particularly in the early onset-persistent group. Controlling for demographic confounders and child verbal IQ did not change the associations. |
| Skuse et al. (32) | 2009 | England | 8,094 | 7.8 years | 8.4 years (SD = 3.7 months) | SCDC (stand.; par.) | SC difficulties were significantly associated with all SDQ behavior outcomes about 1 year later, after controlling for sex, IQ, and maternal education. |
| Askeland et al. (33) | 2021 | Norway | 15,205 | 0.6, 1.5, 3, and 8 years | 1.5, 3, 5, and 8 years | Ages and stages SC (34) (stand.; par.)M-CHAT (35), (stand.; par.) SCQ (36) (stand.; par.), short version CCC-2 (stand.; par.) | SC at age 5 correlated moderately with hyperactivity symptoms at age 8. |
| Beernink et al. (37) | 2007 | The Netherlands | 1,803 | 14 and 19 months | 14 and 19 months | Self-constructed questionnaire (non-stand.; par.) | The variable “communicative intent” at 14 months correlated significantly with oppositional behavior and attention at 19 months. |
ADHD, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; CCC, Children’s Communication Checklist; CCC-2, Children’s Communication Checklist 2nd Edition; M-CHAT, Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers; non-stand., non-standardized; OR, odds ratio; par., parent reported; SC, Social Communication; SCDC, Social and Communication Disorders Checklist; SCQ, Social Communication Questionnaire; stand., standardized; teach., teacher reported.