Project Title:
ALSPAC Cohort Data: Self-harm in young people who stutter in childhood
Type of Research:
Secondary data analysis of data from ALSPAC (Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents And Children)
Background & Scientific Rationale:
The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), also known as Children of the 90s, is a world-leading birth cohort study, charting the health of 14,500 families in the Bristol area. As the most detailed study of its kind in the world and the dataset provides the international research community with a rich resource for the study of the environmental and genetic factors that affect a person’s health and development. Now that the cohort are in their twenties there are approximately 4,500 cohort members still participating.
Research aims:
This preliminary study will analyse the data-set to look specifically at whether young people who stutter in childhood are more likely to self-harm than those with typical communicative development.
Preliminary findings:
Our findings indicate that although 8-year-olds who stutter were no more likely to self-harm than typically-developing individuals, those with other kinds of developmental speech difficulty were significantly more likely to do so.
Expected Output of Research / Impact and added value:
- The key academic output planed is a journal article.
- A related funding application is also planned for early 2019.
- The study findings will be relevant to families, researchers, practitioners and policy makers interested in these client groups.
- The project group aim to work with practice and third sector partners (Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists, The Communication Trust) to bring the work to the attention of policy makers.
For further information on this project, please contact Jan McAllister J.Mcallister@uea.ac.uk
