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Persistence of self‐injury, aggression and property destruction in children and adults with tuberous sclerosis complex
Author(s) -
Wilde L.,
Wade K.,
Eden K.,
Moss J.,
Vries P. J.,
Oliver C.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of intellectual disability research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.941
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1365-2788
pISSN - 0964-2633
DOI - 10.1111/jir.12472
Subject(s) - persistence (discontinuity) , aggression , impulsivity , tuberous sclerosis , psychology , self destructive behavior , intervention (counseling) , clinical psychology , developmental psychology , injury prevention , poison control , medicine , psychiatry , medical emergency , geotechnical engineering , engineering
Background Individuals with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) are at increased risk of developing self‐injurious behaviour. The persistence of this deleterious behaviour over years is reported in aetiologically heterogeneous samples to be between 60% and 80% but is unknown for TSC. Method In this study, we determined the 3‐year persistence of self‐injury in a sample ( n = 52) of children (with and without ID) and adults (with ID) with TSC and examined characteristics associated with persistence. Results Findings for self‐injury were contrasted to those for aggression and property destruction to examine the specificity of results to this behaviour. Self‐injury was persistent in 84.6% of those with TSC who showed this behaviour, in contrast to 66.7% both for aggression and destruction. Persistent self‐injury was associated with poor self‐help skills, greater overactivity/impulsivity and more behavioural indicators of pain. These latter two characteristics were also associated with persistent aggression. No characteristics were associated with persistence of property destruction. Conclusion These findings suggest that self‐injurious behaviours in individuals with TSC, together with aggressive and destructive behaviours, are highly persistent and would benefit from targeted intervention. Poor adaptive skills, overactivity/impulsivity and painful health conditions may differentiate those at most risk for persistent self‐injury or aggression.