Table 4.
Percentages of Participants Who Responded ‘Yes’ for Each Item on the VEQ for Each Group
| Item | Autism | Control | χ2 (Wald) | Odds ratio (95% CI) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Education | I dropped out of school/college/university | 38% (162/426) | 19% (52/268) | 25.89 | P < 0.001 | 2.55 (1.78–3.66) |
| I missed more than 2 weeks of school/college/university due to anxiety or depression | 47% (199/426) | 15% (39/268) | 68.07 | P < 0.001 | 5.15 (3.49–7.60) | |
| I was temporarily or permanently excluded from school/college/university | 14% (61/426) | 3% (8/268) | 19.35 | P < 0.001 | 5.43 (2.56–11.54) | |
| My parents/carers tried to get additional support for me at school but the school did not provide any | 19% (80/426) | 7% (19/268) | 17.06 | P = 0.002 | 3.03 (1.79–5.13) | |
| I left a school/college/university without a qualification because I failed my exams | 15% (65/426) | 8% (22/268) | 7.24 | P = 0.429 | 2.01 (1.21–3.35) | |
| I avoided attending lessons or lectures at school/college/university because I found them stressful | 54% (229/425) | 17% (45/268) | 85.25 | P < 0.001 | 5.79 (3.99–8.41) | |
| Employment | I was signed off from work for at least 2 months due to anxiety, depression or any other mental health reason | 43% (164/386) | 15% (38/260) | 51.62 | P < 0.001 | 4.32 (2.90–6.43) |
| I spent at least a year unemployed and seeking work | 48% (189/426) | 15% (40/268) | 66.73 | P < 0.001 | 5.12 (3.46–7.57) | |
| I was sacked from a job | 42% (162/386) | 24% (61/260) | 22.99 | P < 0.001 | 2.36 (1.66–3.35) | |
| Disciplinary action was taken against me at work | 30% (115/386) | 14% (35/260) | 22.18 | P < 0.001 | 2.73 (1.80–4.14) | |
| I left a job because I was unable to deal with the work environment and/or the demands of the job | 73% (280/386) | 32% (84/260) | 95.70 | P < 0.001 | 5.54 (3.93–7.80) | |
| I have been regularly overlooked for promotions or contract renewals at work | 33% (128/386) | 12% (30/260) | 36.15 | P < 0.001 | 3.80 (2.46–5.88) | |
| I left a job because I was being treated badly by colleagues | 49% (188/386) | 19% (49/260) | 55.83 | P < 0.001 | 4.09 (2.83–5.92) | |
| I have been unable to get a job which matches my level of training and qualification | 55% (211/386) | 21% (54/259) | 68.35 | P < 0.001 | 4.58 (3.19–6.57) | |
| Finances | I have had possessions forcibly removed by debt collectors | 4% (16/426) | 4% (10/268) | 0.00 | P = 1.00 | 1.01 (0.45–2.25) |
| There has been a period in my life where I did not have enough money to meet my basic needs (e.g.· food, rent, medical care) | 45% (193/426) | 25% (67/268) | 28.21 | P < 0.001 | 2.49 (1.78–3.48) | |
| There has been a period in my life where I had debts (other than a mortgage or student loan) that were greater than my yearly income | 26% (109/426) | 13% (35/268) | 15.18 | P = 0.006 | 2.29 (1.51–3.47) | |
| I had to leave my home because I was unable to keep up with mortgage or rent payments † | 12% (52/426) | 4% (11/268) | 11.89 | P = 0.034 | 3.25 (1.66–6.35) | |
| There was a period in my life where I had nowhere safe to live | 27% (114/426) | 11% (30/268) | 22.88 | P < 0.001 | 2.90 (1.87–4.48) | |
| Social services | My child/ren were subject to a child protection investigation due to concerns about my ability to care for them | 9% (13/147) | 2% (3/170) | 6.71 | P = 0.574 | 5.40 (1.51–19.34) |
| My child/ren were referred to social services due to concerns about my ability to care for them | 14% (21/147) | <1% (1/170) | 10.50 | P = 0.072 | 28.17 (3.74–212.18) | |
| I lost custody of my child/ren through court proceedings due to concerns about my ability to care for them | 4% (6/147) | <1% (1/170) | 3.30 | P = 1.00 | 7.19 (0.86–60.44) | |
| An educational, medical or social work professional questioned my ability to care for my child | 19% (28/147) | 4% (7/170) | 14.98 | P = 0.007 | 5.48 (2.32–12.96) | |
| Criminal justice system | I have a criminal record | 10% (41/426) | 4% (10/268) | 7.81 | P = 0.312 | 2.75 (1.35–5.58) |
| I was charged with a criminal offense (not including speeding or parking fines) | 14% (60/426) | 8% (22/268) | 5.33 | P = 1.00 | 1.83 (1.10–3.07) | |
| I was cautioned by the police (not including cautions for minor traffic offences) | 18% (77/426) | 6% (15/268) | 19.97 | P < 0.001 | 3.72 (2.09–6.62) | |
| I spent time in prison or a juvenile detention centre | 3% (12/426) | 2% (5/268) | 0.43 | P = 1.00 | 1.53 (0.53–4.38) | |
| I was arrested by the police † | 18% (77/425) | 9% (23/268) | 11.59 | P = 0.040 | 2.36 (1.44–3.86) | |
| Childhood victimisation | As a child, other children bullied me | 87% (370/426) | 53% (143/268) | 86.50 | P < 0.001 | 5.78 (3.99–8.36) |
| As a child, an adult hurt me badly enough that it left marks on my body | 29% (125/426) | 16% (44/268) | 14.55 | P = 0.008 | 2.11 (1.44–3.11) | |
| As a child, other children left me out of activities | 85% (360/426) | 46% (123/268) | 105.09 | P < 0.001 | 6.43 (4.51–9.18) | |
| As a child, children spread rumours about me or talked about me behind my back | 77% (328/425) | 45% (119/267) | 72.35 | P < 0.001 | 4.21 (3.02–5.86) | |
| As a child, another child hurt me badly enough that it left marks on my body (e.g. bruises or scratches) | 51% (215/426) | 25% (66/268) | 43.86 | P < 0.001 | 3.12 (2.23–4.37) | |
| As a child, children called me names or insulted me | 85% (362/425) | 57% (151/267) | 65.08 | P < 0.001 | 4.41 (3.08–6.33) | |
| As a child, an adult humiliated, embarrassed or scared me | 79% (334/425) | 52% (139/268) | 51.93 | P < 0.001 | 3.41 (2.44–4.75) | |
| As a child, an adult touched me in a sexual way, or tried to make me touch them in a sexual way† | 30% (128/425) | 20% (54/268) | 8.34 | P = 0.233 | 1.71 (1.19–2.46) | |
| As a child, an adult swore at me or called me names like stupid, ugly or lazy | 63% (268/426) | 33% (89/268) | 56.02 | P < 0.001 | 3.41 (2.47–4.70) | |
| Adulthood victimisation | I have been bullied by someone in my family | 55% (234/426) | 34% (90/267) | 29.12 | P < 0.001 | 2.40 (1.75–3.29) |
| I have been pressured into sexual activity | 44% (185/425) | 23% (60/267) | 30.79 | P < 0.001 | 2.66 (1.88–3.76) | |
| I have been bullied by someone at work | 54% (231/426) | 36% (97/268) | 21.17 | P < 0.001 | 2.09 (1.53–2.86) | |
| I have been tricked or pressured into breaking the law | 21% (91/426) | 6% (17/268) | 25.13 | P < 0.001 | 4.01 (2.33–6.90) | |
| I have been physically forced into sexual activity | 26% (111/425) | 15% (39/268) | 12.64 | P = 0.023 | 2.08 (1.39–3.11) | |
| As an adult, I have been hurt by someone badly enough that it left marks on my body (e.g. bruises or scratches) | 34% (145/426) | 18% (48/268) | 20.68 | P < 0.001 | 2.37 (1.63–3.43) | |
| I have been bullied by someone that I considered to be a friend | 70% (299/426) | 31% (84/268) | 94.22 | P < 0.001 | 5.16 (3.70–7.18) | |
| I have been tricked or pressured in to giving someone money or possessions | 48% (205/426) | 20% (54/267) | 51.59 | P < 0.001 | 3.66 (2.57–5.21) | |
| Domestic abuse | My partner forced me into sexual activity | 20% (72/354) | 9% (22/257) | 14.99 | P = 0.006 | 2.73 (1.64–4.53) |
| My partner physically hurt me (e.g.· shoved, slapped or punched me) | 30% (105/354) | 18% (45/257) | 11.64 | P = 0.039 | 1.99 (1.34–2.95) | |
| My partner threatened to harm me or to harm someone I care about | 22% (78/354) | 11% (27/257) | 13.35 | P = 0.016 | 2.41 (1.50–3.86) | |
| My partner took advantage of me financially | 25% (88/354) | 11% (29/257) | 16.92 | P = 0.002 | 2.60 (1.65–4.10) | |
| My partner humiliated or embarrassed me | 39% (138/354) | 23% (59/255) | 16.69 | P = 0.003 | 2.12 (1.48–3.05) | |
| Mental illness | There was a period of my life where I was regularly using alcohol or another (non‐prescribed) drug in order to cope· | 39% (166/426) | 25% (66/268) | 14.97 | P = 0.007 | 1.95 (1.39–2.74) |
| I was incorrectly diagnosed with a mental health condition (e.g. ADHD instead of autism) | 40% (171/426) | 5% (13/268) | 73.27 | P < 0.001 | 13.15 (7.29–23.73) | |
| I have been sectioned because of a mental health condition † | 10% (43/426) | 2% (6/268) | 12.87 | P = 0.020 | 4.90 (2.06–11.68) | |
| I have had a mental health condition that affected my daily life | 84% (356/426) | 38% (103/268) | 133.89 | P < 0.001 | 8.15 (5.71–11.62) | |
| I have made suicide plans | 60% (255/426) | 26% (70/267) | 70.62 | P < 0.001 | 4.20 (3.00–5.86) | |
| I have attempted suicide | 41% (174/426) | 13% (34/268) | 55.97 | P < 0.001 | 4.75 (3.16–7.15) | |
| I have deliberately harmed myself | 60% (259/426) | 20% (54/266) | 98.63 | P < 0.001 | 6.09 (4.26–8.70) | |
| Social support | There has always been someone in my life who would try to help me if I was in trouble | 56% (238/426) | 76% (203/268) | 27.33 | P < 0.001 | 0.41 (0.29–.057) |
| There has always been someone in my life who would care for me if I was ill | 52% (220/426) | 73% (196/268) | 30.84 | P < 0.001 | 0.39 (0.28–0.55) | |
| I have always known that there is someone in my life who loves me | 54% (228/426) | 76% (203/267) | 34.24 | P < 0.001 | 0.36 (0.26–0.51) |
†
Indicates a change in statistical significance in the analysis adjusted for age and sex (see Supporting Information for results of adjusted analysis).
Note. Wald statistics and odds ratios for the group difference. P values have been adjusted for the 60 multiple comparisons using the Bonferroni correction. Items for which there was a significant group difference are in bold font.