Table 3.
Referenced neurobehavioral studies investigating PAE and including both sexes, ranked and sorted by rigor in addressing sex as a biological variable.
| Rigor Score1 |
Reference | Species (Age) | Includes Both Sexes |
Main Effect of Sex |
PAE by Sex Interaction |
Statistics Performed |
Strengths | Limitations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | (Bake et al., 2021) | Rats (Adult) | Yes | Yes | Yes | ANOVA | Sex assessed statistically, appropriate controls included | |
| 5 | (Blanchard et al., 1987) | Rats (Juvenile) | Yes | Assessed, not significant | Yes | Multivariate ANOVA | Sex assessed statistically, appropriate controls included | |
| 5 | (Diaz et al., 2020) | Rats (Adolescent and Adult) | Yes | Yes | Yes | T-tests, ANOVA | Sex assessed statistically, appropriate controls included | |
| 5 | (Diaz et al., 2020) | Rats (Adult) | Yes | Established in prior publication (Diaz et al., 2016) | Yes | T-tests, ANOVA | Sex assessed statistically, appropriate controls included | |
| 5 | (Disney et al., 2008) | Humans (Adolescent) | Yes | Yes | Assessed, not significant | Multiple regression models | Sex assessed statistically, appropriate controls included | |
| 5 | (Hofmann et al., 2005) | Rats (Adult) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Multivariate ANOVA | Sex assessed statistically, appropriate controls included | |
| 5 | (Lynch et al., 2015) | Humans (Young Adult) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Sex included as independent variable in general linear models | Sex assessed statistically, appropriate controls included | |
| 5 | (Lynch et al., 2017) | Humans (Young Adult) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Sex included as independent variable in general linear models | Sex assessed statistically, appropriate controls included | |
| 5 | (Mooney and Varlinskaya, 2011) | Rats (Adolescent and Adult) | Yes | Assessed, not significant | Yes | Multivariate ANOVA | Sex assessed statistically, appropriate controls included | |
| 5 | (Neese et al., 2004) | Rats (Young Adult) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Independent t-tests for each sex | Sex assessed statistically, appropriate controls included | |
| 5 | (Panczakiewicz et al., 2016) | Humans (Child and Adolescent) | Yes | Yes | Assessed, not significant | Chi-square, Univariate and Multivariate ANOVA | Sex assessed statistically, appropriate controls included | |
| 5 | (Rouzer and Diaz, 2022) | Rats (Adolescent) | Yes | Yes | Yes | T-tests, ANOVA | Sex assessed statistically, appropriate controls included | |
| 5 | (Rouzer et al., 2017) | Rats (Adolescent) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Chi-square goodness of fit test, t-tests, ANOVA | Sexes assessed independently, appropriate controls included | |
| 5 | (Wang et al., 2023) | Rats (Adult) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Multivariate ANOVA, T-Tests | Sex assessed statistically, appropriate controls included | |
| 3 | (Streissguth et al., 2004) | Humans (Child to Adult) | Yes | Yes | No | Odds ratios, multivariate logistic regression | Sex assessed statistically, appropriate controls included | Odd ratios of risk factors for major outcomes were calculated, including sex as a risk factor; Two groups compared were individual with an FAS diagnosis or individuals wtih PAE but did not make criteria for an FAS diagnosis |
| 3 | (Coles et al., 2022) | Humans (Adult) | Yes | Yes | N/A | Path analysis (with sex as an exogenous variable ), chi-squared test, ANOVA | Paths from gender to mental health outcomes assessed statistically | Study included control/non-PAE groups; did not assess PAE by sex interaction; females make up greater percent of alcohol exposed (64.6%) group than alcohol affected (50.6%) and control (59.1%) groups |
| 3 | (Flannigan et al., 2023) | Humans (Adolescent and Adult) | Yes | Yes | No | Logistic regression, Pearson chi-square tests | Sex assessed statistically (in PAE subjects) | Study did not include control/non-PAE groups to fascilitate assessment of PAE by sex interaction |
| 1 | (Lees et al., 2020) | Humans (Preadolescent) | Yes | Unknown | Implied, but unknown | Sex included as a coviariate in mixed model & mediation analyses | Sex differences excluded from statistical analyses | |
| 1 | (Olson et al., 1997) | Humans (Adolescent) | Yes | Unknown | Unknown | Sex included as an adjusted covariable in a regression model | Sex differences excluded from statistical analyses |
1
Studies were ranked on a scale of 1 to 5 based on strength of sex differences assessed. Points were assigned based on:
1)
Were both sexes included? (Yes: 1pt; No/Unknown: 0 pts)
2)
Were sexes directly compared to each other (statistical main effect of sex)? (Yes: 2 pts; No/Unknown: 0 pts)
2a)
If not, were sexes assessed independently? (Yes: 1pt; No/Unknown: 0 pts)
3)
Was a PAE by sex Interaction statistically assessed? (Yes: 2 pts; No/Unknown: 0 pts)
3a)
If not, were PAE effects reported for each sex independently? (Yes: 1pt; No/Unknown: 0 pts)