Broad autism phenotype: theory of mind and empathy skills in unaffected siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder

Figures & data

Table 1. Sociodemographic attributes.

	Study group (n = 41)	Control group (n = 43)	p
Age (mean ± SD)	12.2 ± 2.8	12.3 ± 2.8	.684^a
Sex
Male	20 (48.8%)	22 (51.2%)	.827^b
Female	21 (51.2%)	21 (48.8%)
Educational level
Primary school	29(70.7%)	28 (65.1%)	.528^b
High school	12 (29.3%)	15 (34.9%)
Academic success
Very good	27 (65.9%)	24 (55.8%)	.681^b
Good	13 (31.7%)	18 (41.9%)
Average	1 (2.4%)	1 (2.3%)
Age of mother
(mean ± SD)	38.5 ± 5.6	40.4 ± 5.2	.171^a
Marriage age of mother
(mean ± SD)	22.8 ± 3.9	23.1 ± 4.7	.925^a
Age of father
(mean ± SD)	43.6 ± 6.7	44.9 ± 5.3	.195^a
Marriage age of father
(mean ± SD)	27.9 ± 5.1	27.6 ± 4.1	.861^a
Marital status
Together	40 (97.6%)	40 (93%)	.616^b
Divorced/living separate	1 (2.4%)	3 (7%)
Family income
(mean ± SD) TL	3550 ± 2864	3551 ± 2895	.871^a

Note: TL: Turkish Lira

^aMann–Whitney U test.

^bChi-square test.

Table 2. Comparison of Perception Test and UOT total scores.

	Study group (n = 41)	Control group (n = 43)	Effect size (Cohen’s d)	p
	Mean ± SD	Mean ± SD
Comprehension Test	10.7 ± 2.6	14 ± 2.3	1.37	<.001
Unexpected Outcomes Test	11.4 ± 3.3	16.4 ± 2.0	−1.78	<.001

Note: Student’s t test.

Table 3. Comparison of theory of mind scores in the study and control group.

	Study group (n = 41)	Control group (n = 43)	Effect size (Cohen’s d)	p^a
	Mean ± SD	Mean ± SD
First-order ToM	2.6 ± 0.6	2.9 ± 0.2	0.67	.021
Second-order ToM	2.5 ± 0.6	2.8 ± 0.3	0.63	.009
Total ToM	5.1 ± 1.1	5.7 ± 0.5	0.7	.02

^aMann–Whitney U test.

Table 4. The correlation of SCQ and Emotion Recognition Scales and theory of mind tasks in the study group.

	Social Communication Questionnaire
	rho^a	p
Comprehension Test	−.406	<0.001
Unexpected Outcomes Test	−.519	<0.001
Total ToM Scores	−.358	0.011

^aSpearman’s correlation analysis.