Brief Report: Gender Differences in Experiences of Peer Victimization Among Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Jessica L Greenlee, Marcia A Winter, Isabel A Marcovici
PMID 32124143WHAT IT FOUND
Adolescent girls with autism reported peer victimization at similar rates to boys, but for girls it was linked to anxiety and depression.
For boys, social communication difficulties were the main link to mental health symptoms.
Key findings
01Girls and boys with ASD reported experiencing at least one instance of peer victimization at similar rates (88.0% of girls, 70.9% of boys).
02For girls, relational victimization was associated with anxiety beyond social impairment and overt victimization, and remained linked to depression.
03For boys, social communication impairment remained the main predictor of anxiety and depression after peer victimization was considered.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study measured peer victimization, ASD symptoms, and mental health at one time, so it cannot show whether victimization caused anxiety or depression or whether symptoms made victimization more likely. The sample was exploratory and relatively small, especially for girls (50). Diagnosis and ASD symptom data relied on parent report, and online recruitment may have produced a biased sample. The peer victimization questionnaire may not fully capture how adolescents with autism describe being victimized.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that peer victimization causes anxiety or depression in adolescent girls with autism. The study measured victimization and mental health at one time, so it cannot show which came first or whether the association is causal.