Gender identity, sexual orientation and adverse sexual experiences in autistic females

Abstract

Background: There is growing recognition that autistic females present with more diverse gender and sexual identities than their non-autistic counterparts. Likewise, autistic females are also at an increased risk of adverse sexual experiences. As higher rates of sexual victimisation are observed in individuals with diverse sexual identities in the broader population, rates of negative sexual experiences among autistic females remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the representation of gender and sexual diversity within autistic females and examine their rates of regretted, and unwanted, sexual encounters among females with a transgender gender identity and non-heterosexual sexual orientation. Methods: Two hundred and ninety-five females completed the Sexual Behaviour Scale-III (SBS-III) online. Self-reported gender identity and sexual orientation were compared between 134 autistic (M age = 26.2 years, SD = 8.7) and 161 non-autistic females (M age = 22.0 years, SD = 4.6). Differences in the prevalence of negative sexual experiences were compared across diagnosis and each gender identity and sexual orientation label. Results: Autistic females were more likely to identify with a transgender gender identity (p