Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a multifactorial
neurodevelopment disorder. Several prenatal, perinatal, and postnatal
factors are suggested as risk factors for ASD. This study aimed to correlate
prenatal, perinatal, and postnatal factors in a limited number of ASD cases
in Palestine. Methods: A case-control study involved 120 children (60
typically diagnosed with ASD and 60 healthy matched with the ASD
group). The parents of the children in both groups were asked to fill out
the questionnaire. Results: The study showed a higher male-to-female
ratio in the ASD group. A family history of ASD was reported in 38.3%
of the ASD group and 11.7% in the healthy group. Three prenatal risk
factors, including maternal passive smoking, preserving follow-up
prenatal visits, and experiencing psychological stress by mothers, were
significantly associated with ASD. Most of the postnatal factors were
significantly associated with increased ASD risk. The studied perinatal
factors were not significantly associated with ASD. The parental factors,
such as paternal age greater than 30 years and lower levels of education,
displayed significant risk factors associated with ASD. Conclusion: This
study found significant associations between several prenatal, postnatal,
and parental factors and ASD in a sample of Palestinian children.

العنوان

Prenatal, perinatal and postnatal risk factors associated with autism spectrum disorder in Palestine: a case-control study

الناشر

An-Najah National University

بلد الناشر

فلسطين

نوع المنشور

Both (Printed and Online)

المجلد

38

السنة

2024

الصفحات

612–632