ERIC Number: EJ1300562
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021-Jul
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1362-3613
EISSN: N/A
Demographic and Psychological Predictors of Alcohol Use and Misuse in Autistic Adults
Bowri, Maya; Hull, Laura; Allison, Carrie; Smith, Paula; Baron-Cohen, Simon; Lai, Meng-Chuan; Mandy, William
Autism: The International Journal of Research and Practice, v25 n5 p1469-1480 Jul 2021
This study explored demographic and psychological predictors of alcohol use and misuse in a high-functioning, community sample of 237 autistic adults aged 18-75 (mean = 41.92 and standard deviation = 13.3) recruited in the United Kingdom. An online survey measured demographic information, autistic traits, depression, generalised anxiety, social anxiety, mental well-being, social camouflaging and alcohol use with the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test. The sample was divided into three groups (non-drinkers, non-hazardous drinkers and hazardous drinkers) and multinomial logistic regression models were used to investigate associations between alcohol use and demographic factors, autistic traits, mental health variables and social camouflaging. Our results demonstrated a U-shaped pattern among autistic adults, with non-drinkers and hazardous drinkers scoring significantly higher than non-hazardous drinkers on levels of autistic traits, depression, generalised anxiety and social anxiety. In multivariate analysis, autistic non-drinkers were less likely to be male (odds ratio = 0.44; 95% confidence interval = 0.22-0.87) and had more autistic traits (odds ratio = 2.50; 95% confidence interval = 1.19-5.28). Gender and level of autistic traits may be the most significant factors in predicting alcohol use in the autistic community.
Descriptors: Autism, Pervasive Developmental Disorders, Adults, Alcohol Abuse, Predictor Variables, Demography, Individual Characteristics, Symptoms (Individual Disorders), Depression (Psychology), Anxiety, Mental Health, Drinking, Foreign Countries, Gender Differences, Well Being, Behavior, Asperger Syndrome
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A