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ASD Traits and Co-occurring Psychopathology: The Moderating Role of Gender

  • S.I. : ASD in Adulthood: Comorbidity and Intervention
  • Published:
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Abstract

The higher prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in males, relative to that seen in females, is a well-replicated phenomenon. A growing body of research has suggested that there may be gender differences in core ASD deficits and patterns of psychiatric comorbidity among adolescents and adults with ASD. The present study sought to determine if association between psychiatric diagnoses and ASD traits differed by gender in a young adult analogue sample. Participants (n = 84) were university students, scoring either above or below a pre-determined cut-off of ASD traits. Using a structured psychiatric screening interview, ASD traits were found to more strongly predict exceeding screening threshold for mood disorders in females than in males. Future directions and clinical implications are discussed.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank George Clum, Kirby Deater-Deckard, and Thomas Ollendick for their valuable input and guidance on this project.

Author contributions

NK conceived of the study, participated in its design and coordination, ran in lab sessions, performed statistical analyses, and drafted the manuscript; SWW participated in the design and interpretation of the data, and helped to edit the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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  1. Nicole L. Kreiser

    Present address: Department of Neuropsychology, Kennedy Krieger Institute/Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 1750 East Fairmount Ave, Baltimore, MD, 21231, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Virginia Tech, 109 Williams Hall, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA

    Nicole L. Kreiser & Susan W. White

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  1. Nicole L. Kreiser
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Correspondence to Nicole L. Kreiser.

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Informed consent was obtained from all participants included in the study.

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All procedures performed were approved by the institution’s human subjects research board and in accordance with the national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Kreiser, N.L., White, S.W. ASD Traits and Co-occurring Psychopathology: The Moderating Role of Gender. J Autism Dev Disord 45, 3932–3938 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-015-2580-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-015-2580-9

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