Examining a model of anxiety in autistic adults.
Saskia Riedelbauch, Sebastian B Gaigg, Tobias Thiel and 2 others
PMID 37329157WHAT IT FOUND
The proposed anxiety model was not supported across both groups together.
In autistic adults, an adjusted model linked uncertainty, emotion regulation and sensory differences to anxiety. In non-autistic adults, uncertainty and difficulty identifying emotions linked to anxiety, but emotion regulation did not.
Key findings
01The proposed model did not fit the combined autistic and non-autistic data.
02In autistic adults, intolerance of uncertainty, sensory differences and a higher suppression-to-reappraisal ratio predicted more anxiety in the adjusted model.
03In non-autistic adults, difficulty identifying emotions and intolerance of uncertainty predicted more anxiety in the adjusted model.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study measured associations, not treatment effects, so it cannot show that changing any factor will reduce anxiety. The proposed model was changed after the researchers saw the data, including removing factors for the non-autistic group, so the final models may not hold in new samples. Autistic adults with IQ below 75, significant language impairments or learning disabilities were excluded, so results may not generalise across the autism spectrum. The sample was relatively small for the model, especially the autistic group, and the authors said it did not allow further variables or pathways. All constructs were self-report, and none of the measures were developed and validated specifically for autistic respondents. The non-autistic group included 13 people with anxiety disorders and some co-occurring diagnoses, and the sample had a large age range, which may have affected results. The German sensory questionnaire translation was not fully validated in this study; validation was still in revision.
Declared interests
The study was supported by Stiftung Irene. No other funding or conflict-of-interest statements are provided in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that treating sensory differences, uncertainty or emotion regulation will reduce anxiety. The study measured associations, not treatment effects, and the final model was changed after seeing the data.