Table 1.
Characteristics of the population in the EFAAR study.
| Total sample | Women (n = 17) | Men (n = 46) | Gender effect (p value) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 42.9 ± 15.1 (21–68) | 47.5 ± 14 (23–63) | 41.3 ± 15.2 (21–68) | 0.21 | |
| ASD severity (CARS) | 38.9 ± 6.6 (25–52) | 37.6 ± 7 (25–51.5) | 39.4 ± 6.5 (25–52) | 0.36 | |
| Adaptive functioning (VABS-II) | SS communication | 23.1 ± 7.2 (20–73) | 25.4 ± 12.8 (20–73) | 22.2 ± 3.2 (21–38) | 0.42 |
| SS daily life | 23.6 ± 5.7 (20–47) | 22.5 ± 2.9 (20–33) | 24 ± 6.4 (21–47) | 0.92 | |
| SS social skills | 20.7 ± 2.9 (20–37) | 20 ± 0 (20–20) | 20.1 ± 3.4 (20–37) | 0.22 | |
| Autonomy level (ADL) | 4.2 ± 1.6 (0–6) | 3.8 ± 1.6 (0–6) | 4.4 ± 1.6 (0–6) | 0.13 | |
| Polypharmacy | 58.7% | 70.6% | 54.3% | 0.25 | |
| Sedative and anticholinergic burden (DBI) | 2 ± 1 (0-5.5) | 1.9 ± 1 (0–4.1) | 2.1 ± 1.1 (0−5.5) | 0.73 |
Values are expressed as percentages or the means ± standard deviation (minimum–maximum).
For the gender effect, the association between gender and every clinical characteristic was assessed using the mean comparison for continuous variables and the χ2 test for dichotomous variables.
ADL, activities of daily living; CARS, Childhood Autism Rating Scale; DBI, Drug Burden Index; SS, sub-scores at the VABS-II; VABS-II, Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale II.