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. 2022 Jul 26;22:499. doi: 10.1186/s12888-022-04145-1

Table 1.

Sample Characteristics of the Low-, Medium-, and High-Risk Groups (N = 1057)

Low-risk group Medium-risk group High-risk group F/x2, p
n = 927 n = 111 n = 19
Child characteristics
 Age in years, mean (SD) 5.34 (0.34) 5.29 (0.31) 5.27 (0.29) F (2,1055) = 1.55, p = .21
 Male, number (%) 502 (54.15) 51 (45.95) 12 (63.16) x2 = 3.56, p = .17
 Siblings, number (SD) 2.06 (0.73) 1.87 (0.73) 1.79 (0.63) F (2,1055) = 4.37, p < .01a
Parent/family characteristics
 Education mother
  University/higher professional (%) 85.68 73.33 78.95 x2 = 9.31, p = .010c
 Family income (million yen) (%)
  Under 2 1.77 4.12 0 x2 = 11.53, p = .31
  2 or more and less than 5 21.32 28.87 16.67
  5 or more and less than 7 30.98 34.02 33.33
  7 or more and less than 10 30.51 23.71 44.44
  10 or more and less than 15 13.19 8.25 5.56
  15 or more 2.24 1.03 0
 Mother’s depression (number of “yes” answers) (%)
  0 75.25 51.85 42.11 x2 = 38.22, p = .0001c
  1 15.12 25.93 26.32
  2 9.64 22.22 31.58
Autistic traits (SRS), mean (SD)
 Social communication/interaction 25.35 (8.18) 47.66 (5.88) 69.79 (11.25) F(2,1055) = 634.55, p < .001a,b
 Restricted/ repetitive behavior 3.46 (2.55) 9.41 (3.29) 17.74 (4.79) F(2,1055) = 481.47, p < .001a,b
 Total raw score 28.81 (9.72) 57.07 (7.29) 87.53 (14.49) F(2,1055) = 738.79, p < .001a,b
Emotional/behavioral problems (SDQ), mean (SD)
 Emotional symptoms 1.27 (1.43) 2.89 (2.20) 3.90 (3.02) F(2,1055) = 75.13, p < .001a,b
 Conduct problems 1.68 (1.42) 3.14 (1.82) 3.42 (2.36) F(2,1055) = 57.32, p < .001a,b
 Hyperactivity-Inattention problems 2.63 (1.92) 4.74 (2.16) 6.21 (2.52) F(2,1055) = 83.95, p < .001a,b
 Peer problems 1.02 (1.12) 2.62 (1.83) 4.73 (1.28) F(2,1055) = 748.49, p < .001a,b
 Prosocial behavior 7.13 (1.89) 5.96 (2.03) 4.00 (2.67) F(2,1055) = 40.67, p < .001a,b
 Total difficulties 6.59 (3.92) 13.39 (4.84) 18.26 (5.65) F(2,1055) = 203.90, p < .001a,b

SD Standard deviation, SRS Social Responsiveness Scale, SDQ Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire

a Post-hoc tests with an ANOVA showed a significant difference between the Low-risk group and the Medium-risk group (p < .05)

b Post-hoc tests with an ANOVA showed a significant difference between the Low-risk group and the High-risk group (p < .05)

c Residual analyses with a Chi-square test showed a significant difference between the Low-risk group and the other groups (p < .05)