AIMS

The main aim of the study is to explore the relationships among speech, language and communication needs, peer victimisation during childhood and adolescence, and mental health across the lifespan. The research questions are:

* Are levels of reported peer victimization across different SLCN groups (such as stuttering, other speech difficulties, and developmental language difficulties) significantly greater than for cohort members without such needs? Where possible we will take into account data from cohort members with non-SLCN disabilities.

* How do measures of mental health and emotional well-being in these groups compare across the lifespan?

* To what extent does peer victimization contributes to mental health in these groups across the lifespan?

* Does SLCN remain a risk when other factors are controlled for?

* Have levels of reported peer victimization in SLCN groups changed in response to initiatives to tackle bullying?

A further aim of the study is to develop a framework for future collaborative work involving the co-applicants and in the longer term other birth cohort researchers in the international academic community.

We plan to use data from the National Child Development Study and the Millenium Cohort Study as well as ALSPAC, because we wish to explore the impact of SLCN across the lifespan. However, ALSPAC offers the richest source of information in many respects. First, parental report of stuttering and developmental speech difficulties is verified by a trained researcher, which is not the case for any other British birth cohort study to date; second, parents, teachers and the cohort members themselves provide report of peer victimization; third, it provides a wide range of mental health measures.

Mental health and peer victimisation will both be considered as outcomes in different models. We will consider a variety of models as appropriate for the different outcome variables, including different types of multivariable regression such as binary and multinomial logistic regression and hierarchical linear regression. We would also conduct path analysis to examine direct pathways between SLCN and mental health, as well as indirect pathways via peer victimization over and above the effects of individual and socio-demographic factors and life events.

HYPOTHESES

Based on prior research, we hypothesise that cohort members with SLCN will be more likely to experience bullying and mental health problems than controls without these conditions. As suggested above, we expect that we will find direct pathways between SLCN and mental health, as well as indirect pathways via peer victimization, over and above the effects of individual and socio-demographic factors and life events.