Investigation of the relation between parents’ socioeconomic status and the incidence of Autism

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Assistant professor of child and adolescent psychiatry, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran

2 MS.c. in psychology, Urmia, Iran

Abstract

Introduction:  Real causes of Autism disorders are unknown. Today, neurodevelopment factors are considered as the main cause of this disorder. Possibly, the potential genetic factors and their interaction with environmental factors increase the probability of Autism. Recently, the interest toward the studies on the impact of socioeconomic status on health is increased. This study aims to investigate the relation between parents' socioeconomic status and incidence of Autism.
Materials and Methods: In this case-control study, the case community concluded all children who received Autism diagnosis in the health centers of West Azarbaijan Province, and they were educating in schools in 2016 and the control group concluded the healthy individuals. A SES questionnaire was used to determine the economic and social status, including four components (income, economical class, residence and education).
Results: The results of this study did not indicate any significant difference in maternal leave and socioeconomic status in the studied groups (P>0.05) while distribution of changing in the residence location was statistically significant among the studied groups (P=0.020).
Conclusion: It seems that parents' socio-economic status cannot cause Autism.

Keywords

Main Subjects


  1. Herbert DM, Weintraub K. The autism revolution: Whole-body strategies for making life all it can be. Reprint edition. New York: Ballantine Books; 2013.
  2. Matson JL, Wilkins J. A critical review of assessment targets and methods for social skills excesses and deficits for children with autism spectrum disorders. Res Autism Spectr Disord 2007; 1(1): 28-37.
  3. Gardener H, Spiegelman D, Buka SL. Prenatal risk factors for autism: comprehensive meta-analysis. Br J Psychiatry J Ment Sci 2009; 195(1): 7–14.
  4. Bhasin TK, Schendel D. Sociodemographic risk factors for autism in a US metropolitan area. J Autism Dev Disord 2007; 37(4): 667-77.
  5. Bilder D, Pinborough-Zimmerman J, Miller J, McMahon W. Prenatal, perinatal, and neonatal factors associated with autism spectrum disorders. Pediatrics 2009; 123(5): 1293-300.
  6. Croen LA, Grether JK, Selvin S. Descriptive epidemiology of autism in a California population: who is at risk? J Autism Dev Disord 2002; 32(3): 217-24.
  7. Durkin MS, Maenner MJ, Meaney FJ, Levy SE, DiGuiseppi C, Nicholas JS, et al. Socioeconomic inequality in the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder: evidence from a U.S. cross-sectional study. PloS One 2010; 5(7): e11551.
  8. Leonard H, Glasson E, Nassar N, Whitehouse A, Bebbington A, Bourke J, et al. Autism and intellectual disability are differentially related to sociodemographic background at birth. PloS One 2011; 6(3): e17875.
  9. Maenner MJ, Arneson CL, Durkin MS. Socioeconomic disparity in the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder in Wisconsin. WMJ Off Publ State Med Soc Wis 2009; 108(5): 253-5.
  10. Thomas P, Zahorodny W, Peng B, Kim S, Jani N, Halperin W, et al. The association of autism diagnosis with socioeconomic status. Autism Int J Res Pract 2012; 16(2): 201-13.
  11. Windham GC, Anderson MC, Croen LA, Smith KS, Collins J, Grether JK. Birth prevalence of autism spectrum disorders in the San Francisco Bay area by demographic and ascertainment source characteristics. J Autism Dev Disord 2011; 41(10): 1362-72.
  12. Emerson E. Deprivation, ethnicity and the prevalence of intellectual and developmental disabilities. J Epidemiol Community Health 2012; 66(3): 218-24.
  13. Larsson HJ, Eaton WW, Madsen KM, Vestergaard M, Olesen AV, Agerbo E, et al. Risk factors for autism: perinatal factors, parental psychiatric history, and socioeconomic status. Am J Epidemiol 2005; 161(10): 916-25.
  14. Rai D, Lewis G, Lundberg M, Araya R, Svensson A, Dalman C, et al. Parental socioeconomic status and risk of offspring autism spectrum disorders in a Swedish population-based study. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2012; 51(5): 467-76.
  15. Burd L, Severud R, Kerbeshian J, Klug MG. Prenatal and perinatal risk factors for autism. J Perinat Med 1999; 27(6): 441-50.
  16. Dodds L, Fell DB, Shea S, Armson BA, Allen AC, Bryson S. The role of prenatal, obstetric and neonatal factors in the development of autism. J Autism Dev Disord 2011; 41(7): 891-902.
  17. Larsson HJ, Eaton WW, Madsen KM, Vestergaard M, Olesen AV, Agerbo E, et al. Risk factors for autism: perinatal factors, parental psychiatric history, and socioeconomic status. Am J Epidemiol 2005; 161(10): 916-25.
  18. Bhasin TK, Schendel D. Sociodemographic risk factors for autism in a US metropolitan area. J Autism Dev Disord 2007; 37(4): 667-77.
  19. Maenner MJ, Arneson CL, Durkin MS. Socioeconomic disparity in the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder in Wisconsin. WMJ Off Publ State Med Soc Wis 2009; 108(5): 253-5.
  20. Windham G, Fenster L. Environmental contaminants and pregnancy outcomes. Fertil Steril 2008; 89(2 Suppl): e111-116.
  21. Bollati V, Baccarelli A. Environmental epigenetics. Heredity 2010; 105(1): 105-12.