Feasibility Study of a Novel App-Based Anxiety Intervention for Autistic People.

There was no control group, so the anxiety reduction cannot be separated from natural symptom change, regression to the mean, or expectancy effects. 100 participants were enrolled, and 76 completed the endpoint GAD-7. Six withdrew, including one who said the app increased anxiety. 17 participants reported that the app or its features did not help, or increased anxiety. The sample was mostly female, mostly white, and mostly living independently, so it does not represent all autistic adults. The app content is delivered as written text, so people with lower language or literacy skills may find it hard to use. Some participants found the app stressful, and 29% reported technical issues. The main anxiety measure, GAD-7, was developed for the general population and may not capture autism-specific anxiety experiences. Objective app usage data were available for 77 participants, not all enrolled participants. The study was conducted with research-team support, so real-world uptake without that support is uncertain.

The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was funded by an MRC Confidence in Concept award. The authors also report unrelated grants from the Innovative Medicines Initiative AIMS-2-TRIALS, with support from EU Horizon 2020, EFPIA, SFARI, Autistica and Autism Speaks. The paper states that app technical maintenance and development were provided by EqualEyes, then Old St Labs. The paper also states that the funders had no role in conceptualization or manuscript development.

Do not conclude that the app treats anxiety. The study had no control group, and the authors describe the anxiety reduction as a preliminary signal.