CHAPTER 4

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONRESULTS

Table 1Demographic Profile of Respondents

n %

Gender Male Female

Age 18 y/o 19 y/o 20 y/o 21 y/o 22 y/o 23 y/o

College AB (Arts and Letters) AMV (Accountancy) Commerce CFAD (Fine Arts & Design) CRS (Rehab Sciences) Education Engineering Music Nursing Pharmacy Science

121168

52142811022

2142201524222915403526

41.958.1

18.049.128.03.5.7.7

7.314.56.95.28.37.610.05.213.812.19.0

N=289

Table 1 shows the sample characteristics of the 289 respondents from the University of Santo Tomas. It was mostly comprised of female respondents (n=168, 58.1%) and most of the respondents were from ages 18-20 with 19 having the highest population (n=142, 49.1%). The respondents came from a total of 11 colleges within the university and most of them were from the College of Accountancy (n=42, 14.5%), followed by College of Nursing (n=40, 13.8%) and College of Pharmacy (n=35, 12.1%).

Table 2Likelihood of Asperger’s Syndrome in Filipino Youth

n %

Without Likelihood of Asperger’s Syndrome

With High Likelihood of Asperger’s Syndrome

86

203

29.8

70.2

N=289

Results indicate that there is a high incidence of the likelihood of having undiagnosed Asperger’s Syndrome among Filipino Youth (n=203, 70.2%) as shown in Table 3.

Table 3Depression in Filipino Youth

n %

Depression Minimal Mild Moderate Severe

159634027

55.021.813.89.3

N=289

The severity of depression among the youth respondents (Table 3) indicates that majority of the respondents experience only minimal depression (159, 55.0%). Meanwhile, only 27 (9.3%) out of the 289 respondents suffer from a severe form depression.

Table 4Incidence of Asperger’s Syndrome and Depression according to Gender

with AS without AS with Depression no/minimal Depression

Male 87.0 (43%) 34.0 (40%) 52 (40%) 69.0 (43%)Female 116.0 (57%) 52.0 (60%) 78 (60%) 90.0 (57%)TOTAL 203 86 130 159

This table shows that AS is more prevalent in females (n=116.0, 57%) than in males (n=87.0, 40%). Most of the female population, scored positive of depression (n=78, 60%) compared to the male population having only 40% (n=52).

Table 5Incidence of Severity of Depression according to Gender

no/minimal Depression

mild Depression moderate Depression

severe Depression

Male 69.0 (43%) 23.0 (37%) 19.0 (47.5%) 10.0 (37%)Female 90.0 (57%) 40.0 (63%) 21.0 (52.5%) 17.0 (63%)TOTAL 159 63 40 27

Table 5 shows that out of the 289 respondents, 159 of them scored no/minimal depression with female having 57% (n=90.0). Severe depression was manifested by only 27 out of the 289 respondents with female again having 63% (n=17.0).

Table 6Incidence of Asperger’s Syndrome to those who have Depression

Respondents w/ Depression with AS without ASMale w/ Depression 50 (45%) 2 (11%)

Female w/ Depression 62 (55%) 16 (89%)TOTAL 112 18

According table 6, of the male and female respondents’ positive with depression, 62 (55%) females and 50 (45%) males were positive for Asperger’s Syndrome. Only 18 respondents diagnosed to have depression scored negative for Asperger’s Syndrome.

Asperger’s Syndrome

Depression

Figure 2Scatter Plot – Asperger’s Syndrome vs. Depression

Figure 2 shows the relationship of the data obtained from both RAADS-R and BDI-II assessment tools for Asperger’s Syndrome and Depression respectively. Figure 2 shows a non-linear relationship between Depression and the Likelihood of Asperger’s Syndrome. The line formed illustrates that there’s a part of the relationship between AS and Depression that is directly proportional. The first part of this line shows that as the likelihood of Asperger’s Syndrome increases, and so does Depression. However, this trend doesn’t continue all the way as a plateau is formed in the middle part of the scatter plot as Depression ceases to escalate amid the continuing increase in the likelihood of Asperger’s Syndrome.

Table 7Significant Indicators of the Constructs under study

β P-value

Asperger’s Syndrome (Ritvo’s Autism Asperger’s Diagnostic Scale – Revised)

Deciding when it’s appropriate to talk or to listen during communication

Socializing and making friends Changing subjects/topics during

communication Being considered a loner Misinterpretation of loudness and

softness of sounds even if aware that no changes really occurred

Depression (Beck’s Depression Index) Tiredness or Fatigue Worthlessness Loss of Energy Concentration Difficulty Self-dislike

.683

.637

.617

.606

.599

.733

.730

.706

.705

.656

.007

.010

.008

.009

.009

< .001< .001< .001< .001< .001

p-value significant if less than .05

Table 7 shows some of the indicators used in the assessment of the variables under study and its significance in terms of proving the strength of the causal relationship between the factors being investigated. Based on the results, the five major indicators which were mostly about communication (β= .683), socialization (β=.6370), changing topics (β=.617), being a loner (β=.606) and the tone of voice (β=.599) greatly impact the diagnosis of Asperger’s Syndrome.

On the other hand, the BDI-II used to assess depression shows that feelings of fatigue (β=.733), worthlessness (β=.730), loss of energy (β=.706), difficulty in concentration (β =.705) and self-dislike (β=.656) play a significant role in the diagnosis of depression.

Table 8Comparison of Fit Indices between Hypothetical and Emerging Models

APC ARS AVIFHypothesized Model .177

(p= < .001).079

(p= .003)1.005

Good if > 5Emerging Model .376

(p= < .001).142

(p= < .001)1.000

Good if > 5

Figure 3Hypothetical Model

Figure 4Emerging Model

Following modification and model trimming, findings indicated that the emerging model (Fig. 4) fitted the data better compared to the hypothetical model (Fig. 3). As table 8 shows, higher values of APC (average path coefficients) and ARS (average R-squared) as well as lower p-values of the emerging model than the hypothetical model indicated a better fit for the former; lower AVIF (average variance inflation factor) of the Emerging Model also suggests this as well (APC =.376, ARF = .142, and AVIF = 1.000).

Table 9Path Analysis of Emerging Model

Variable AS Effect Size

Depression 0.376*(p = .012)

0.142

*significant at <0.5 level

Notes for model

APC = 0.376 p < .001ARP = 0.142 p < .001AVIF = 1.000 Good if <5

Table 9 shows the significant correlation between Asperger’s Syndrome and Depression. As shown in the emerging model (Fig. 4) and in Table 9, the likelihood of having Asperger’s Syndrome positively influences the development of Depression (β=.38, ρ=.012).

As illustrated in Fig. 3, gender did not positively affect the likelihood of Asperger’s Syndrome (β=.12, ρ=.08). Gender did not also have any positive impact on the development of Depression (β=.03, ρ=.28).

Also, the moderating effects of Asperger’s Syndrome to the relationship between gender and depression are not significant due to the fact that gender did not influence any of the other variables positively.

DISCUSSION

Effects of gender to Asperger’ Syndrome

Fombonne (2003, 2005, 2007) stated that the predominance of males with ASD has long been recognized. Males outnumber females with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) an average of 4.3 to 1. It’s also been said that Asperger’s is an extreme variant of the “male mind,” representing rule-based, systematic thinking (Harvard Medical School Health, 2005). the differences. Skuse (2000) has suggested that the gene or genes for autism are located on the X chromosome. Girls inherit X chromosomes from both parents, but boys only inherit one, from their mothers. Skuse's hypothesis is that the X chromosome which girls inherit from their fathers contains an imprinted gene which "protects" the carrier from autism, thus making girls less likely to develop the condition than boys. This theory has been used to support Asperger's view that autism and

Asperger’s syndrome are at the extreme end of a spectrum of behaviours normally associated with "maleness". These studies cited above contradict the results showed in Table blank which states that the likelihood of having undiagnosed Asperger’s Syndrome is higher in the female gender. Some factors could have attributed to this finding.

On the other hand, one factor affecting this finding could also be related to the studies made by Attwood (2000), Ehlers and Gillberg (1993) and Wing (1981) which speculated that many girls with Asperger’s syndrome are never referred for diagnosis, and so are simply missing from statistics. This might be because the diagnostic criteria for Asperger’s syndrome are based on the behavioural characteristics of boys, who are often more noticeably "different" or disruptive than girls with the same underlying deficits. Girls with Asperger’s syndrome may be better at masking their difficulties in order to fit in with their peers, and in general have a more even profile of social skills.

Also, Gould and Ashton-Smith (2011) say that because females with ASDs may present differently from males, diagnostic questions should be altered to identify some females with ASDs who might otherwise be missed. Supporting this idea was Wing’s (1981) hypothesis that based on evidence that, in the general population, females have better verbal skills, while males excel in visuo-spatial tasks. There may be a neurological basis for this, so that autism can be interpreted as exaggeration of "normal" sex differences. But environmental and social factors may also play a part in sex differences in ability, which means that no direct analogy can be drawn between the poorer verbal skills of boys and the higher incidence of autism in males.

Effects of Gender to Depression

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Effects of Asperger’s Syndrome to Depression

In this study, results showed that Asperger’s Syndrome is positively correlated with depression. The finding is supported by the study conducted by (Lainhart, 1999) which states that the most prevalent psychiatric disorders reported among individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders are depressive and anxiety disorders. Diminished friendships, loneliness, difficulty interacting and expressing to other people may all lead to social withdrawal and depression.

Boys with ASD scored higher on depression, victimization, and negative friendship features than TD boys, which is consistent with prior research (Cappadocia et al., 2012; Kim et al., 2000) and supports the notion that the social deficits associated with ASD influence social relations with peers. Estimates of the prevalence of depression in individuals diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders range from five to eighty-two percent (Barnhill, 2001; Ghaziuddin, Weidmer-Mikhail, & Ghaziuddin, 1998; Ghaziuddin, Alessi, & Greden, 1995; Green, Gilchrist, Burton, & Cox, 2000; Kim, Szatmari, Bryson, Streiner, & Wilson, 2000; Klin, Pauls, Schultz, & Volkmar, 2005).

Effects of Asperger’s Syndrome to the relationship of Gender and Depression

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