Table 1.
Comparisons of descriptive variables
| ASD (n = 237) | COM (n = 198) | Statistics | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 46.0 (SD 13.8) Range 19–79 |
45.6 (16.4) Range 19–77 |
F(1, 433) = 0.08, p = .773, ηp2 = 0.00 |
| Sex | 163 M/74 F | 109 M/89 F | Fisher’s test, p = .004, odds ratio = 1.80 |
| Educational levela | Fisher’s test, p < .001 | ||
| Low | 1 | 0 | |
| Middle | 86 | 41 | |
| High | 147 | 156 | |
| Residential status | Fisher’s test, p < .001 | ||
| Independent | 97 | 64 | |
| With partner or housemate | 107 | 116 | |
| With parents | 13 | 17 | |
| Residential home | 19 | 0 | |
| Other | 1 | 1 | |
| Relationships | Fisher’s test, p = .019 | ||
| Unmarried | 106 | 71 | |
| Married | 87 | 88 | |
| Cohabiting | 21 | 29 | |
| Other | 23 | 10 | |
| Diagnosis | – | – | |
| Autistic disorder | 42 | ||
| Asperger syndrome | 117 | ||
| PDD-NOS | 71 | ||
| ASD | 7 | ||
| Time of diagnosis (years) | 4.0 (3.9) Range 0–26 |
– | – |
| Occupationa | χ2 = 8.82, p = .032 | ||
| Unemployedb | 95 | 68 | |
| Class 1–3 | 87 | 90 | |
| Class 4–6 | 30 | 24 | |
| Class 7–9 | 19 | 5 | |
| SCL-90 (mean)c | 174.8 (52.7) | 113.5 (22.4) | F(1, 348) = 202.4, p < .001, ηp2 = 0.37 |
| IQ (mean)c | 113.1 (17.7) | 112.6 (17.3) | F(1, 321) = 0.07, p = .790, ηp2 = 0.00 |
| ADOS (mean)c | 8.7 (3.4) | – | – |
ASD autism spectrum disorder, COM comparison group, M male, F female, PDD-NOS pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified, ISCO International Standard Classification of Occupations, SCL-90 symptom checklist-90, IQ estimated intelligence quotient, ADOS autism diagnostic observation schedule
aMissing: educational level: 3 ASD, 1 COM; occupation: 6 ASD, 11 COM
bUnemployment also included retirement and students
cSCL-90, IQ, and ADOS were assessed in a subgroup of participants (ASD: IQ/ADOS n = 142, SCL-90 n = 172; COM: IQ n = 180, SCL-90 n = 177)