Acceptance and commitment therapy for autistic adults: A randomized controlled pilot study in a psychiatric outpatient setting.
Johan Pahnke, Markus Jansson-Fröjmark, Gerhard Andersson and 4 others
PMID 36510817WHAT IT FOUND
Autistic adults in psychiatric care who joined an acceptance and commitment therapy group reported less stress and higher life satisfaction than those receiving usual care alone.
The effects were seen at the end of the 14-week programme.
Key findings
01Participants in the acceptance and commitment therapy group showed a statistically significant reduction in perceived stress and an interaction effect on quality of life compared with those receiving treatment as usual.
02The therapy group showed significant improvements in psychological inflexibility, cognitive fusion, and cognitive and behavioral avoidance compared with the usual care group.
03No significant differences were found between the groups for depression, anxiety, sleep problems, functional impairment, or overall autistic core challenges.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
The study was a pilot trial that was stopped early due to organizational changes, resulting in a small sample size of 39 participants. This limits the statistical power and the certainty of the findings. The study did not control for group effects, so it is unclear if the benefits came from the specific therapy techniques or simply from being in a group. All outcomes were based on self-report questionnaires, with no objective or independent assessments. The participants all had average or above-average intellectual capacity, so the results cannot be generalized to autistic adults with intellectual disabilities. The study was conducted in a psychiatric outpatient clinic, which may limit how well the results apply to other settings. There were many outcome measures, which increases the risk of finding a significant result by chance.
Declared interests
The first author is an instructor for the therapy method being evaluated and stands to gain financially from it. The study was funded by several foundations including the Söderström-Königska Foundation and Psykiatrifonden.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that this therapy treats the core symptoms of autism. The study found improvements in stress and quality of life, but no significant differences in depression, anxiety, or overall autistic core challenges compared to usual care.