Assessing the relationship between autistic traits and cyberdeviancy in a sample of college students

Case studies suggest a relationship between Asperger syndrome (AS) and computer hacking. The current study examined whether characteristics associated with AS were significantly related to hacking, cyberbullying, identity theft, and virus writing. Two hundred and ninety-six university undergraduate students completed an Internet-based anonymous survey measuring self-reported computer deviant behaviour and characteristics associated with AS (autism-spectrum quotient; AQ). Of the 296 university students, 179 (60%) engaged in some form of computer deviant behaviour, but only 2 (0.01%) yielded clinically significant scores according to the AQ. Contrary to the authors' expectations, hackers did not score higher on the AQ compared to non-computer hackers. However, virus writers, identity thieves, and cyberbullies scored higher on the AQ compared to their computer non-deviant counterparts. In addition, individuals who engaged in hacking, identity theft, cyberbullying, and virus writing scored higher on the AQ and reported poorer social skills, poorer communication, and poorer imagination compared to all other individuals engaging in computer deviant behaviours. Considerations for future research and study limitations are discussed.