Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42141457›Full record

ArticleMolecular autism2026

Subclinical neuropsychiatric trait variation in parents of children with autism spectrum disorder: a cohort study.

Lindsay J Mullin, Kai Xia, Jeffrey Wang, Chimei M Lee, Tessa G Buscher, Carolyn Lasch, Catherine A Burrows, Jed T Elison, Mark D Shen, Steven R Dager and 10 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Molecular autism, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

20 authors.

Lindsay J MullinCarolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, USA.
Kai XiaDepartment of Psychiatry, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, USA.
Jeffrey WangCarolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, USA.
Chimei M LeeDivision of Clinical Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA.
Tessa G BuscherCarolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, USA.
Carolyn LaschDepartment of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, USA.
Catherine A BurrowsDivision of Clinical Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA.
Jed T ElisonInstitute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA.
Mark D ShenCarolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, USA.
Steven R DagerDepartment of Radiology, University of Washington, Seattle, USA.
Annette M EstesDepartment of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, USA.
Heather C HazlettCarolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, USA.
Natasha MarrusDepartment of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, USA.
Juhi PandeyChildren's Hospital of Philadelphia and University of Pennsylvania, Center for Autism Research, Philadelphia, USA.
Robert T SchultzChildren's Hospital of Philadelphia and University of Pennsylvania, Center for Autism Research, Philadelphia, USA.
Tanya St JohnDepartment of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, USA.
Lonnie ZwaigenbaumDepartment of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.
John N ConstantinoDepartments of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Pediatrics, and Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine, Center for Behavioral and Mental Health, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, USA.
Joseph PivenCarolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, USA.
Jessica B GiraultCarolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, USA. jessica_girault@med.unc.edu.ORCID 0000-0002-9271-0354

Funding

Cellular and molecular mechanisms governing cortical surface area overgrowth in iPSC-derived neural cells from longitudinally characterized individuals with autismR01HD055741 · NICHD · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · PI Joseph Piven · 2007 to 2026
$52.6M
UNC-CH CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH &SUSCEPTIBILITYP30ES010126 · NIEHS · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · PI Melissa A. Troester · 2001 to 2026
$36.3M
WUIDDRC Supplement-Supporting the health and well-being of children with intellectual and developmental disability during COVID-19 pandemicP50HD103525 · NICHD · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI JEFFREY D MILBRANDT · 2020 to 2026
$15.5M
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development K23HD112507Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development R01-HD055741NICHD NIH HHS P50 HD103525NICHD NIH HHS R01 HD055741NIEHS NIH HHS P30 ES010126NIMH NIH HHS K01-MH122779NIMH NIH HHS MH118362 - 02S1
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMany neuropsychiatric conditions share overlapping features underpinned by shared genetics. In this study, we examined the co-aggregation of sub-threshold variation in neuropsychiatric phenotypes in biological parents of autistic children to provide insights into the intergenerational transmission of genetic liability for autism.

methodsAutistic, neuropsychiatric (i.e., anxiety, depression, ADHD), and cognitive traits were characterized in biological parents of children enrolled in a longitudinal developmental study: 189 families of autistic children and 100 families with no autistic children were included. Families were further characterized as having only one (simplex) or more than one (multiplex) autistic child. Maternal and paternal traits were compared across groups using analysis of variance. Between-parent and within-parent correlations across trait domains examined patterns of familial trait aggregation and assessed shared versus unique contributions to the inheritance of autism. Logistic regression assessed the predictive utility of parental traits for simplex vs. multiplex group membership.

resultsMean levels of paternal autistic traits (F(2, 224) = 5.67, FDR-adjusted p-value (q) = 0.013) and maternal anxious (F(2, 262) = 11.14, q < 0.001) and depressive (F(2, 262) = 7.08, q = 0.005) traits differed between groups. Post-hoc tests revealed elevated autistic traits in multiplex fathers (q = 0.009) and elevated anxious (q < 0.001) and depressive (q = 0.004) traits in multiplex mothers compared to parents of non-autistic children; simplex parents did not differ from either of the other groups. Parental traits jointly accounted for 7.9% of autism recurrence liability in multiplex families. Elevations in autistic traits co-occur with elevations in neuropsychiatric traits in simplex parents (0.35 ≤ r ≤ 0.43) but were uncorrelated in multiplex parents. LIMITATIONS: Findings from this study may not generalize to more heterogeneous samples with differing racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic demographics. Exclusionary criteria for the original study may result in families with a lower trait burden for psychiatric disorders than the broader population of parents of autistic children.

conclusionsResults highlight unique patterns of autistic, anxious, and depressive trait presentation and aggregation in multiplex parents. Findings call for a transdiagnostic approach to quantifying genetic liability in families with autistic children.

Indexed as

Autism Spectrum DisorderFathersMothersAdultAnxietyChildCohort StudiesDepressionFemaleGenetic Predisposition to DiseaseHumansMalePsychiatric Status Rating ScalesADHDAnxietyAutismCognitive abilityDepressionFamilial inheritanceMultiplexParental traitsSimplex

Identifiers

PMID42141457
PMCPMC13192047

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.