Gender differences in psychosocial function and self-reported health status in late-diagnosed autistic adults: results from the FACE-ASD national cohort

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Dubreucq, Julien | Coutelle, Romain | Lajnef, Mohamed | Godin, Ophélia | Amestoy, Anouck | Atzori, Paola | Baleyte, Jean Marc | Bonnot, Olivier | Bouvard, Manuel Pierre | Coulon, Nathalie | Fonseca, David Da | Demily, Caroline | Delorme, Richard | Fabrowski, Marine | Givaudan, Marion | Gollier-Briant, Fanny | Guenolé, Fabian | Humeau, Elise | Leignier, Sylvain | Lejuste, Florian | Levy, Charlotte | Rabot, Juliette | Schröder, Carmen M. | Valette, Marie | Leboyer, Marion | Speranza, Mario

Edité par CCSD ; Cambridge University Press (CUP) -

International audience. Background : While adult outcome in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is generally measured using socially valued roles, it could also be understood in terms of aspects related to health status – an approach that could inform on potential gender differences. Methods : We investigated gender differences in two aspects of outcome related to health-status, i.e. general functioning and self-perceived health status, and co-occurring health conditions in a large multi-center sample of autistic adults. Three hundred and eighty-three participants were consecutively recruited from the FondaMental Advanced Centers of Expertise for ASD cohort (a French network of seven expert centers) between 2013 and 2020. Evaluation included a medical interview, standardized scales for autism diagnosis, clinical and functional outcomes, self-perceived health status and verbal ability. Psychosocial function was measured using the Global Assessment of Functioning scale. Results : While autistic women in this study were more likely than men to have socially valued roles, female gender was associated with poorer physical and mental health (e.g. a 7-fold risk for having three or more co-occurring physical health conditions) and a poorer self-perceived health status. Psychosocial function was negatively associated with depression and impairment in social communication. Half of the sample had multiple co-occurring health conditions but more than 70% reported that their visit at the Expert Center was their first contact with mental health services. Conclusions : To improve objective and subjective aspects of health outcome, gender differences and a wide range of co-occurring health conditions should be taken into account when designing healthcare provision for autistic adults.

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