Gender and age as moderators of depressive symptoms in people with ASD and ID ( El género y la edad como moderadores de los síntomas depresivos en personas con TEA y DI )

Abstract

Many research studies have shown a prevalence of comorbid depressive symptomatology in people with an autism spectrum disorder. This prevalence is much higher than the rates in the normotypic population. The purpose of this study is to clarify the factors that moderate the association between depression and autism. One hundred and twenty-one adults (M = 35.46 years¸ SD = 9.46) with ASD and an intellectual disability participated in this study. The results showed that sex and age significantly moderate the relationship between ASD and depressive symptoms. Specifically, males aged between 30 and 49 were the most vulnerable group for the development of depressive symptoms. These results suggest that interventions designed to prevent or reduce depressive symptoms in people with ASD should consider that males aged 30–49 are more vulnerable than the rest of the population to suffering from a depressive disorder.