Hooked on a feeling: Repetitive cognition and internalizing symptomatology in relation to autism spectrum symptomatology.
Elliot Gavin Keenan, Katherine Gotham, Matthew D Lerner
PMID 28747070WHAT IT FOUND
In adults with varying autism traits, repetitive thinking predicted depression and rejection sensitivity.
This suggests that internalizing symptoms may stem from a general tendency to dwell on thoughts, rather than just social difficulties. Clinicians should assess for perseverative cognitive styles when evaluating mood in this population.
Key findings
01Repetitive thinking (perseveration) remained a significant predictor of depression scores even after controlling for autism symptom severity.
02Repetitive thinking fully mediated the relationship between autism symptoms and depression, meaning the link between the two was explained by the tendency to perseverate.
03Repetitive thinking also partially mediated the relationship between autism symptoms and rejection sensitivity.
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 a non-clinical sample of university students, so findings may not apply to individuals with diagnosed ASD or intellectual disabilities. The sample was primarily female, whereas ASD is more commonly diagnosed in males. The study was cross-sectional, so it cannot prove that repetitive thinking causes depression; it only shows an association. All data were self-reported, which is subject to bias and shared method variance.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was supported by NIH and non-U.S. government grants.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret these findings as evidence that repetitive thinking causes depression in diagnosed autistic adults. The study was conducted on a non-clinical university population, and the cross-sectional design cannot establish causality.