Clinical factors predicting tic persistence into adulthood.
8 affiliations
- 1Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Genetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States.
- 2Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, United States.
- 3Department of Psychiatry, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States.
- 4Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States.
- 5Center for OCD, Anxiety and Related Disorders, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States.
- 6Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.
- 7Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.
- 8Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.
Abstract
Background
Despite widespread patient and family interest in long-term outcome prediction at the time of Tourette syndrome (TS) diagnosis, there is limited data on factors associated with disease severity and impairment in adulthood. This study aimed to examine the relationship between childhood and adulthood worst-ever tics and identify predictors of adulthood tic severity and impairment, including the role of significant life events.Methods
In a cross-sectional design, 258 adult participants with TS completed an online questionnaire assessing tic severity and impairment during their worst-ever tic periods in childhood and adulthood, co-occurring obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms and clinical and demographic characteristics.Results
Worst-ever childhood tic severity and impairment were significantly associated with greater worst-ever adulthood tic severity and impairment. Co-occurring OCD was also associated with greater tic severity and impairment in adulthood. Use of tic medication was a significant predictor of greater worst-ever adulthood tic impairment, but not severity. Overall, 153 (59.3%) participants reported experiencing a significant life event at the time of their worst-ever tics in adulthood, and the presence of a significant life event was associated with greater worst-ever adulthood tic impairment. There was a significant effect of negative and neutral life events, but not positive life events, on adult worst-ever tic severity and impairment, compared to those not reporting a significant life event.Discussion
These findings provide insight into characteristics present either in childhood or in adulthood that may help predict the presence and severity of tic symptoms in adulthood.
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BibTeX
@article{kaylor2026clinical,
title = {{Clinical factors predicting tic persistence into adulthood.}},
author = {Ariadne Kaylor and Joshua A Senior and Evan Realbuto and Jenna LaRochelle and Dongmei Yu and Daisy T Noriega-Makarskyy and Angela Essa and Carol A Mathews and Jeremiah M Scharf},
journal = {Frontiers in psychiatry},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1948693},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42903303},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Clinical factors predicting tic persistence into adulthood.
AU - Ariadne Kaylor
AU - Joshua A Senior
AU - Evan Realbuto
AU - Jenna LaRochelle
AU - Dongmei Yu
AU - Daisy T Noriega-Makarskyy
AU - Angela Essa
AU - Carol A Mathews
AU - Jeremiah M Scharf
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/06
JO - Frontiers in psychiatry
DO - 10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1948693
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42903303
AB - Background Despite widespread patient and family interest in long-term outcome prediction at the time of Tourette syndrome (TS) diagnosis, there is limited data on factors associated with disease severity and impairment in adulthood. This study aimed to examine the relationship between childhood and adulthood worst-ever tics and identify predictors of adulthood tic severity and impairment, including the role of significant life events.Methods In a cross-sectional design, 258 adult participants with TS completed an online questionnaire assessing tic severity and impairment during their worst-ever tic periods in childhood and adulthood, co-occurring obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms and clinical and demographic characteristics.Results Worst-ever childhood tic severity and impairment were significantly associated with greater worst-ever adulthood tic severity and impairment. Co-occurring OCD was also associated with greater tic severity and impairment in adulthood. Use of tic medication was a significant predictor of greater worst-ever adulthood tic impairment, but not severity. Overall, 153 (59.3%) participants reported experiencing a significant life event at the time of their worst-ever tics in adulthood, and the presence of a significant life event was associated with greater worst-ever adulthood tic impairment. There was a significant effect of negative and neutral life events, but not positive life events, on adult worst-ever tic severity and impairment, compared to those not reporting a significant life event.Discussion These findings provide insight into characteristics present either in childhood or in adulthood that may help predict the presence and severity of tic symptoms in adulthood.
SN - 1664-0640
ER -