Wellcome Trust Fellowship -The Divergent Paths Project
The Divergent Paths project is a data-driven 4-year project funded by the Wellcome Trust.
It will utilise several large-scale routinely collected health datasets and longitudinal cohort studies to explore the associations between having isolated or multiple forms of neurodivergence in childhood and an increased risk of multimorbidity in adulthood. We also tend to investigate factors across the life course which both strengthened and reduce this association, including specific mental health difficulties and experiences of childhood maltreatment, abuse and neglect. Finally, we plan to conduct some qualitative research amongst young people with lived experience of these challenges to better understand their experiences of accessing healthcare services which might reduce their multimorbidity risk.
Both childhood neurodivergence and childhood mental health difficulties are increasingly recognised as a growing global health challenge and improving our understanding of the role these conditions play in determining adult health is therefore of vital importance.
We will be working with a range of external partners and those with expertise by experience in achieving our project goals, so please get in touch if you would like to contribute.
- Lead Researcher: Dr Naomi Wilson
- Supervisors: Professor Helen Minnis, Dr Ruchika Gajwani, Dr Michael Fleming
- Contact: Administrator - irene.oneill@glasgow.ac.uk / 0141 330 8795
Publications
Wilson N, Gajwani R, Fleming M, Finlay M, Stocks H, Walker G, Corrigan N, Minnis H (2024). The physical health trajectories of young people with neurodevelopmental conditions: A protocol for a systematic review of longitudinal studies