The effect of autism phenotype and diagnosis disclosure on students' desire for social distance from autistic peers.
Indrė Muraškaitė, Kristina Žardeckaitė-Matulaitienė
PMID 38411107WHAT IT FOUND
Non-autistic university students wanted more social distance from written descriptions of autistic males and of autistic students whose diagnosis was not disclosed.
Descriptions of autistic females or disclosed diagnoses were rated like neurotypical students. This does not mean those students need less support.
Key findings
01On the social distance scale (range -20 to +20, higher means more distance), students reported greater distance from autistic male vignettes (mean -5.08) than from autistic female (-9.23), neurotypical male (-8.67), or neurotypical female (-10.41) vignettes.
02On the same -20 to +20 scale, students reported greater desired social distance from autistic students with non-disclosed diagnosis (mean -6) than from autistic students with disclosed diagnosis (-7.90) or neurotypical students (-9.45).
03Autistic female vignettes did not differ significantly from neurotypical male or female vignettes, and the difference between neurotypical and disclosed autistic vignettes was not determined.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
Participants judged hypothetical written descriptions, not real autistic classmates, so the results may not show how they would behave in person. The autistic students in the vignettes were described as academically capable and without visible behavioral issues, so the results may not apply to autistic people with more visible disability or support needs. The study measured explicit social distance only, not automatic or implicit bias. Most participants were women (219 of 303 in the first part and 198 of 284 in the second part), so male student responses may be underrepresented. Some control groups were smaller than experimental groups, which may reduce certainty. Answers may reflect social desirability, although the analysis controlled for it.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest. The research was funded by the European Social Fund under measure No. 09.3.3-LMT-K-712, with funder named Lietuvos Mokslo Taryba.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that disclosure reduces stigma in real life or that autistic females need less support. The study used hypothetical written descriptions and measured explicit social distance, not actual behavior or support needs.