Brief Report: Sexual Orientation in Individuals with Autistic Traits: Population Based Study of 47,000 Adults in Stockholm County.
Adults with higher autistic traits are more likely to identify as bisexual or questioning—give them space and tools to explore.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Researchers mailed a short survey to 47,000 adults in Stockholm County.
They asked how people felt about sex and romance.
They also gave a quick autism-trait checklist to see who scored high.
What they found
Adults with more autistic traits were more likely to say they were bisexual or unsure of their label.
The pattern held for both men and women.
It showed up even in people who had never sought an autism diagnosis.
How this fits with other research
Cohen et al. (2018) ran an online survey and saw the same tilt: about 70% of diagnosed autistic adults called themselves non-heterosexual.
Cohen et al. (2018) also repeated the test in another neurotypical sample and again found higher same-sex attraction when autistic traits rose.
George et al. (2018) added a twist: gender-dysphoric feelings sit in the middle—autistic traits predict those feelings, which then predict sexual orientation.
George et al. (2018) warn that mental-health risk piles up when a client is both autistic and a sexual minority, so screening for anxiety and depression is key.
Why it matters
Expect more clients to say “I’m not sure” or “I like more than one gender” when they show autistic traits. Build intake forms that let them pick “questioning” or write their own label. Offer calm, concrete sex-ed that skips the metaphors. Link them to LGBTQ+ autism groups so they see peers who look like them.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
We examined the association between autistic traits and sexual orientation in a general adult population (N = 47,356). Autistic traits were measured with the ten items Autistic Quotient questionnaire using a cut-off score of ≥ 6. Sexual orientation was assessed by self-report. Multinomial logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for sexual orientation categories. Participants with autistic traits were more likely to identify as bisexual (OR 1.73; 95% CI 1.01-2.9) and to feel that their sexual orientation could neither be described as hetero-, homo- nor bisexual (OR 3.05; 95% CI 2.56-3.63), compared to individuals without autistic traits. Autistic traits are associated with minority sexual orientation, and perhaps with uncertain self-identification and/or a defiance of traditional ways of categorizing sexual identity.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2018 · doi:10.1007/s10803-017-3369-9