Exploring Cultural Differences in Autistic Traits: A Factor Analytic Study of Children with Autism in China and the Netherlands

Fangyuan Liu, Anke M Scheeren, Rachel Grove, Rosa A Hoekstra, Ke Wang, Dehua Guo, Chongying Wang, Sander Begeer

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Abstract

Autism spectrum disorders are diagnosed globally, but recognition, interpretation and reporting may vary across cultures. To compare autism across cultures it is important to investigate whether the tools used are conceptually equivalent across cultures. This study evaluated the factor structure of the parent-reported Autism Spectrum Quotient Short Form in autistic children from China (n = 327; 3 to 17 years) and the Netherlands (n = 694; 6 to 16 years). Confirmatory factor analysis did not support the two-factor hierarchical model previously identified. Exploratory factor analysis indicated culturally variant factor structures between China and the Netherlands, which may hamper cross-cultural comparisons. Several items loaded onto different factors in the two samples, indicating substantial variation in parent-reported autistic traits between China and the Netherlands.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)4750-4762
Number of pages13
JournalJournal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
Volume52
Issue number11
Early online date6 Nov 2021
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Nov 2022

Bibliographical note

© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.

Funding

FundersFunder number
Government of the United Kingdom
National Institute for Health and Care ResearchNIHR200842
Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China13YJCZH167
Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek
China Scholarship Council

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