Magnitude and Associated Factors of Autism Spectrum Disorder Among Patients Attended at Psychiatry Clinic in Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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Date
2025-04-15
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Background: A complicated developmental condition, autism spectrum disorder is characterized by repetitive behavior, limited interests, and ongoing difficulties with social communication. About 1 in 100 people worldwide has autism. This lifelong condition presents varying challenges that can affect daily life. In Ethiopia, Autism Spectrum Disorder is a growing issue that lacks attention, this is evidenced by the absence of appropriate laws or policies, insufficient facilities, and a scarcity of literature on the topic.
Objective: Assessing the magnitude and associated factors of autism spectrum disorder in patients who visit psychiatry clinic at Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, is the goal of this study. Method: At Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital, a two-year retrospective cross-sectional study was carried out with a randomly chosen sample of 422 patients who visited the psychiatry clinic between September 11, 2022, and September 10, 2024. A Google checklist was used to gather the data, which was then converted to SPSS Windows version 26 for analysis. We used the percent mean, standard deviation and frequency to characterize our findings. The relationship between each explanatory variable and the outcome variable was evaluated using binary logistic regression. Variables with a p-value of less than or equal to 0.25 in the bivariable analysis were included in the multivariable logistic regression analysis. Adjusted odds ratios and their associated 95% CIs were computed for the multivariable binary logistic regression analysis. A p-value of less than 0.05 was deemed statistically significant, and odds ratios and their 95% CIs were used to show how strong the connections were.
Result: The Magnitude of autism spectrum disorder in the study population was found to be 23% (95% CI: 95% CI: 19.9- 28.3), The study identified several significant factors influencing the odds of having autism spectrum disorder. Males were found to have 2.02 times higher odds of having ASD compared to females. while asphyxia increased the odds by 2.23 times. Preterm infants were 2.4 times more likely to have autism spectrum disorder, and each year of age was associated with a 19% decrease in the odds of having autism spectrum disorder . Later-born children had 2.03 times higher odds of autism spectrum disorder compared to their older IX siblings. However, occupational status and Down syndrome did not show significant effects after adjusting for other factors.
Conclusion: In comparison to what has been documented in the literature, the severity of autism spectrum disorder is high. Males made up a larger percentage of the population than females, and most of the participants were older than five. The majority of children had one comorbidity, and a sizable portion had multiple comorbidities. Intellectual disability, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and epilepsy were the most prevalent related comorbidities. Autism is linked to maleness, birth asphyxia, preterm birth, and late born. Males are more likely than females to be impacted.
Keywords: Autism, associated factors, Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital, magnitude, Ethiopia
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Autism associated factors Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital magnitude Ethiopia