Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41649746›Full record

ArticleJournal of autism and developmental disorders2026

Cross-Cultural Differences in the Interpretation of Autistic Traits: A Comparison Between Iran, Malaysia, Morocco, and The Netherlands.

Omid R Fani, Maretha V de Jonge, Steve M J Janssen, Ahmed O T Ahami, Marieke de Vries

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Article in Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Omid R FaniSchool of Psychology, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Semenyih, Selangor, Malaysia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0007-0942-2508
Maretha V de JongeFaculty of Social Sciences, Department Education and Child Studies, Clinical Neuroscience and Developmental Disorders, University Leiden, Leiden, The Netherlands.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1468-1615
Steve M J JanssenSchool of Psychology, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Semenyih, Selangor, Malaysia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3100-128X
Ahmed O T AhamiFaculty of des Sciences, Department of Biology and Health, University Ibn Tofail, Kenitra, Morocco.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9262-8863
Marieke de VriesSchool of Psychology, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Semenyih, Selangor, Malaysia. m.devries7@uu.nl.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2845-8956

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeThe diagnosis of Autism relies partly on the evaluation of social behavior. What is perceived as "appropriate" (social) behavior is influenced by culture, as culture shapes norms and beliefs about behavior. Culture might thus influence the interpretation of autistic traits and the diagnostic process. We aimed to study whether culture affects the interpretation and reporting of autistic traits and how autism knowledge is associated with these relations.

methodsTo do so, we investigated cross-cultural differences in self-reported autistic traits (autism-spectrum Quotient) and the commonness of these traits in Iran (n = 88), Malaysia (n = 181), Morocco (n = 94), and the Netherlands (n = 113). Additionally, we explored the relationship between (the commonness of) autistic traits and autism knowledge (Revised Autism Knowledge Survey) across these countries.

resultsThe results indicated, consistent with previous studies, cross-cultural differences in both self-reported autistic traits and the commonness of these traits. Cross-cultural differences in reporting autistic traits showed that cultural background might affect their interpretation. There was a relationship between self-reported and the commonness of autistic traits. When autistic traits are considered more common, people also self-report more traits. In addition, more knowledge about autism was related to lower self-reported traits. However, within individual countries, the relationships were more nuanced.

conclusionIt is, hence, essential to consider cultural background and autism knowledge when assessing autism cross-culturally.

Indexed as

Autism knowledgeAutism spectrum disorder (ASD)Cross-cultural differencesCultural normsGlobal autism carePerceived commonness

Identifiers

PMID41649746

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.