Anger Rumination is Associated with Restricted and Repetitive Behaviors in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Karim Ibrahim, Carla Kalvin, Carolyn L Marsh and 4 others
PMID 31144231WHAT IT FOUND
Children with autism showed more repetitive angry thinking than healthy children, similar to children with disruptive behavior.
In autism, more restricted and repetitive behavior went with more repetitive angry thinking.
Key findings
01Children with autism had higher anger rumination than healthy controls and similar anger rumination to children with disruptive behavior disorders.
02Among children with autism, higher restricted and repetitive behavior scores were associated with higher anger rumination, while aggression was not a significant predictor.
03Children with autism and co-occurring disruptive behavior had higher anger rumination than children with autism without co-occurring disruptive behavior.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
The study measured everything at one time point, so it cannot show whether anger rumination, restricted and repetitive behaviors, or aggression came first. The autism subgroup with co-occurring disruptive behavior had only 22 children, so subgroup comparisons were underpowered. The final regression model accounted for 5.6% of the variance in anger rumination, and the authors noted additional factors should be explored. The sample was mostly boys, so results may not apply to girls with autism. Children with trauma or PTSD were not included, so the study does not address those contributors to rumination.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that anger rumination causes restricted and repetitive behaviors, or that treating either will improve outcomes. The study is cross-sectional, the final model accounted for 5.6% of the variance, and the autism plus disruptive behavior subgroup had only 22 children.