Experiences of Autism Acceptance and Mental Health in Autistic Adults.
Eilidh Cage, Jessica Di Monaco, Victoria Newell
PMID 29071566WHAT IT FOUND
Autistic adults who felt less accepted by society, family and friends, or themselves reported more depression.
Less acceptance from society, family and friends also related to more stress. Anxiety was not related to acceptance.
Key findings
01Lower perceived acceptance from society, family and friends, and lower personal acceptance were associated with higher depression scores.
02Lower acceptance from external sources was associated with higher stress scores, while personal acceptance was not.
03Perceived acceptance from society over the past week was not significantly associated with anxiety scores.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study used an anonymous online self-report survey, so answers could be inaccurate or biased. It was cross-sectional, so it can show associations at one time point but cannot show that acceptance caused mental health symptoms. Of 111 people who completed the survey, 27 were excluded from final regression analyses because of missing data; the final regression analyses are reported for 84 participants. The sample was mostly female, heterosexual, White British and well-educated, so it may not represent all autistic adults. 84% reported additional mental health diagnoses or developmental conditions, which may mean the survey attracted people already experiencing difficulties. The autism acceptance questions were created for this study because no pre-existing measure was available. Eleven participants without a formal diagnosis were excluded from regression analyses.
Declared interests
The supplied text does not report funding sources or author conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that increasing autism acceptance will reduce depression or stress. The study measured associations at one time point in a self-report survey, so it cannot show that acceptance caused lower symptoms or that an acceptance-focused intervention would work.