Do Parental Comorbidities Affect the Severity of Autism Spectrum Disorder?

Hussain Aldera; Ahmed Hilabi; Mohamed R Elzahrani; Moustafa S Alhamadh; Muhannad Q Alqirnas; Reem Alkahtani; Emad Masuadi

doi:10.7759/cureus.32702

Do Parental Comorbidities Affect the Severity of Autism Spectrum Disorder?

Cureus. 2022 Dec 19;14(12):e32702. doi: 10.7759/cureus.32702. eCollection 2022 Dec.

Authors

Hussain Aldera¹, Ahmed Hilabi², Mohamed R Elzahrani², Moustafa S Alhamadh³, Muhannad Q Alqirnas⁴, Reem Alkahtani¹, Emad Masuadi⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, SAU.
² Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, SAU.
³ Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, SAU.
⁴ Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, SAU.
⁵ Department of Medical Education, College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, SAU.

Abstract

Background Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a group of neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by defective social communication and interaction with a repetitive pattern of monotonous or stereotyped behavior. Although the exact etiology of ASD is unknown, many factors may be implicated in the development of ASD. We aimed to determine the correlation between specific parental factors and Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC) scores. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Prince Nasser Bin Abdulaziz Center for Autism, Autism Center for Excellence, and Academy of Special Education for Autism in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. We enrolled children diagnosed with ASD and their parents from these centers. Data were collected through self-administered questionnaires to the patients' parents. Results All included children were <18 years old. In total, 71 (92.2%) children were male and six (7.8%) were female. Further, 77 (100%) patients were diagnosed with autistic disorder. Children of consanguineous parents, underweight mothers and obese fathers, mothers with a history of depression during pregnancy, and mothers aged ≥31 years during pregnancy tend to have a higher mean ATEC score. The health domain was the most significantly correlated with ATEC scores, with a Pearson correlation of 0.880. In linear regression analysis, only maternal depression during pregnancy was significantly correlated with ATEC scores. Conclusion Our patients had a mean ATEC score of 86.2. The health domain was the most significantly correlated with ATEC scores, with a Pearson correlation of 0.880. Linear regression analysis revealed that consanguinity, parental chronic disease, parental allergy, smoking, drug use during pregnancy, paternal and maternal body mass index (BMI), and sibling number were not significantly correlated with ATEC scores (P=0.701, 0.693, 0.133, 0.874, 0.982, 0.255, 0.778, and 0.502, respectively). However, maternal depression during pregnancy was significantly correlated with ATEC scores (P=0.055).

Keywords: autism; autism severity; autism spectrum disorder (asd); autism treatment evaluation checklist; parental comorbidities.