%0 Journal Article
%T Contextual Triggers and Tic Severity Across Life Periods: A Retrospective Analysis in Adults with Tic Disorders.
%A Barber KE
%A Ding Q
%A Espil FM
%A Woods DW
%A Specht MW
%A Bennett SM
%A Stiede JT
%A Walkup JT
%A Ricketts EJ
%A McGuire JF
%A Peterson AL
%A Compton SN
%A Wilhelm S
%A Scahill L
%A Piacentini JC
%J Child Psychiatry Hum Dev
%V 0
%N 0
%D 2024 Jul 8
%M 38976153
%F 2.776
%R 10.1007/s10578-024-01733-y
%X In tic disorders (TD), tic expression varies across the lifespan and as a function of contextual factors. This study explored connections between tic expression and contextual triggers across life periods in 74 adults (Mage = 23.2) with TDs. The Tic History and Coping Strategies form assessed retrospective self-reports of contextual antecedents, consequences, and tic severity during four life periods (middle school; 9th/10th grade; 11th/12th grade; college/work) and past month. Tics reportedly worsened during and after school in school-aged years and worsened in the evening during college/work years. Stress and anxiety were reported to consistently trigger tics across time. The impact of activities, places, and emotions did not differ across life periods. Attention-based consequences, most prevalent during middle school, were more common than escape- or avoidance-related consequences across all periods. Findings illuminate how contextual factors may influence tics across life periods and underscore the consistent impact of tic-triggering emotions and attention-related consequences.