Sex Differences in Psychiatric Comorbidities in Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A National Inpatient Sample Analysis

Abstract

Objective: To investigate sex differences in psychiatric comorbidities in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Methods: The US National Inpatient Sample dataset (January 2016 to December 2018) was used for this retrospective study. The patient population was selected by performing a query on all adolescent patients (aged 12-17 years) having ASD with the ICD-10-CM code starting with F84. All missing sex data were excluded. Additional data on mood disorders, anxiety disorders, personality disorders, adjustment disorders, psychotic disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)/conduct disorders, sleep-wake disorders, and substance use disorders were collected. Data on psychiatric comorbidities were collected using the ICD-10-CM code provided in the Clinical Classifications Software of the dataset.

Results: Mood disorders (37.4% vs 44.1%, P < .001) and anxiety disorders (29.4% vs 37.0%, P < .001) were more prevalent in females compared to males. The prevalence of ADHD and other conduct disorders was significantly higher in males than females (47.7% vs 36.7%, P < .001). Substance use disorders were slightly higher among males compared to females (3.7% vs 3.0%, P = .04).

Conclusion: The study findings revealed statistically significant disparities in psychiatric comorbidities among adolescent male and female patients with ASD. These findings could serve as a pilot for larger-scale research with this patient population in the future.