Sexual, physical, and emotional aggression, experienced by autistic vs. non-autistic U.S. college students.

This study looked at bullying and aggression experienced by autistic university students compared to non-autistic students. Autistic students were almost twice as likely to experience emotional bullying and more likely to experience physical aggression. When sexual assault occurred, it was much more likely to affect their studies. Having a sense of belonging at university was especially protective for autistic students against physical and sexual victimization.

This large-scale study examined victimization rates among 1,411 autistic and 218,430 non-autistic U.S. college students across 78 institutions. Autistic students experienced significantly higher rates of emotional victimization (44% vs. 26%) and physical victimization (8.4% vs. 5.7%) compared to their non-autistic peers. When sexual assault occurred, autistic students were 2.23 times more likely to report academic performance impacts (80.4% vs. 36.0%). The study found that sense of belonging was particularly protective against physical and sexual victimization for autistic students, regardless of depression levels.

These findings highlight the vulnerability of autistic college students to interpersonal aggression and the importance of targeted prevention and support strategies.

Universities should implement targeted prevention programs for autistic students, develop trauma-informed support services, and prioritize building sense of belonging through inclusion initiatives. Academic accommodations may be needed following victimization experiences.

Study design not specified in abstract. Limited information about methodology, participant characteristics, or measurement tools. Cross-sectional design cannot establish causality. Self-reported data may be subject to recall bias.

ObjectiveTo compare rates of aggression victimization for autistic vs. non-autistic U.S. college students. = 1,411 autistic and = 218,430 non-autistic students from 78 colleges.We used a three-way interaction term to examine moderation of the relationship between autism and sexual, physical and emotional aggression victimization by depression and sense of belonging.Autistic students were nearly twice as likely as non-autistic students to report past-year emotional victimization (44% vs. 26%, < 0.001), and more likely to report physical victimization (8.4% vs. 5.7%, < 0.001). Autistic students who experienced sexual assault were 2.23 times more likely than non-autistic students to report it affected academic performance (80.4% vs. 36.0%, < 0.001). At both low and high levels of depression, sense of belonging was protective against physical and sexual victimization for autistic students more than for non-autistic students.: Institutions of higher education should prioritize preventing and responding to interpersonal aggression against autistic students.