Participation in recreational activities buffers the impact of perceived stress on quality of life in adults with autism spectrum disorder.
Lauren Bishop-Fitzpatrick, Leann Smith DaWalt, Jan S Greenberg and 1 others
PMID 28244233WHAT IT FOUND
In adults with autism, higher perceived stress was linked to lower quality of life.
The link was weaker for adults taking part in recreational activities at least weekly; social activities did not show this pattern.
Key findings
01Perceived stress was significantly associated with lower quality of life after controlling for age, sex and intellectual disability status.
02Self-reported recreational activities buffered the relationship between perceived stress and quality of life, while self-reported social activities did not.
03Mother-reported data showed the same pattern: recreational activities had a trend-level moderation effect, and social activities did not significantly moderate the association.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The analysis used one wave of data, so it cannot show that recreational activities caused better quality of life. Only adults who could complete a one-on-one interview were included, and they had less severe autism symptoms and lower rates of intellectual disability than adults with autism who did not take part. The families lacked racial diversity and had taken part in the research for almost 15 years. Depression and anxiety were not measured, so their possible role was not examined. The activity measures were limited: self-reported social activities used only two items, and the measures did not assess the quality of activities or fully separate social from recreational components.
Declared interests
Drs. Bishop-Fitzpatrick, Smith, Greenberg, and Mailick have no conflict of interest to declare.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that recreational activities improve quality of life. The study was observational, only adults who could complete interviews were included, and social activities did not significantly buffer stress.