Reporting of Cultural Factors in Autism Research Publications in Sweden: Application of the GAP-REACH Checklist

Abstract

Systematic reporting of cultural variables in research publications is important to address disparities in diagnostics and treatment for children with ASD from diverse backgrounds. The present review examined reporting of cultural factors in ASD publications in the Swedish research context by using the GAP-REACH checklist developed by the Cultural Committee of the Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry. Thirty peer-reviewed articles published in English between 2013 and 2015 met inclusion criteria. Depending on research designs, 46% of the reviewed studies defined cultural factors using various proxies for ethnicity to describe study participants; none of the studies used the “race” variable; 23.3% provided rationale for inclusion of cultural factors. The checklist in its modified form is applicable within the Swedish context.