Prevalence of Victimisation in Autistic Individuals: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

This large review looked at how often autistic people experience different types of harm or abuse. They found that 44% of autistic people experience some form of victimisation. Bullying was most common (47%), followed by sexual victimisation (40%). When autistic people experienced multiple types of harm, rates were much higher (84%). The findings show autistic people need better protection and support to stay safe.

This systematic review and meta-analysis examined victimisation prevalence across autistic individuals by analysing 34 studies. The pooled prevalence rate was 44% overall, with bullying at 47%, sexual victimisation at 40%, child abuse at 16%, cyberbullying at 13%, and multiple forms of victimisation at 84%. High heterogeneity across studies limited definitive interpretation, and this heterogeneity was not reduced when accounting for age, reporting source, or recruitment population. The review encompassed various victimisation types including bullying, sexual victimisation, and crime across both children and adults from clinical and community settings, highlighting the urgent need for protective strategies and interventions.

Results indicate autistic individuals face substantially elevated victimisation risk across multiple domains. Clinicians should routinely screen for victimisation experiences and implement trauma-informed approaches. Urgent need exists for evidence-based prevention strategies, safety education programs, and protective interventions targeting the autism community.

High heterogeneity across studies limits definitive interpretation of findings. Heterogeneity was not reduced when accounting for participant age, reporting source, or recruitment population. The abstract does not report total sample size across included studies, limiting assessment of statistical power.

Autistic individuals are at an increased risk of experiencing victimisation. Previous reviews have focussed specific types of victimisation. Thus, a clearer picture considering the range of victimisation experiences autistic people face is required. This systematic review aims to identify the prevalence of victimisation in autistic individuals considering a variety of victimisation types (e.g., bulling, sexual victimisation, and crime) in both adults and children from clinical and community settings.

Through systematic searches of relevant databases, 291 studies met the criteria for review. Of those, 34 studies met the inclusion criteria: a) quantitative studies, b) involving autistic individuals, c) reporting prevalence rates of victimisation. Meta-analysis found a pooled prevalence rate of victimisation of 44% in autistic individuals. Subgroup analysis examined moderating factors as high heterogeneity was present.

This found the pooled prevalence rates for bullying to be 47%, 16% for child abuse, 40% for sexual victimisation, 13% for cyberbullying, and 84% for multiple forms of victimisation in autistic individuals, though heterogeneity remained. Correction for participants' age, reporter used, and the population which the sample was recruited from did not reduce heterogeneity. Although heterogeneity impedes the definitive interpretation of the findings, this review illustrates the need for strategies and interventions to reduce the incidence of victimisation.