‘Are they just gonna reject me?’ Male adolescents with autism making sense of anxiety: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

Acker, Louise; Knight, Matthew; Knott, Fiona

doi:10.1016/j.rasd.2018.07.005

Cited by 30 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 46 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…These provide exposure to more anxiety provoking situations ( Salazar et al, 2015 ). Alternatively, autistic children with higher IQs may have a better ability to recognise the discrepancy between their social skills and their peers, which might precipitate anxiety ( Acker et al, 2018 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Anxiety disorder trajectories in autistic children are similar to children with anxiety disorders alone, often presenting as externalising behaviours in younger children, which changes to withdrawal and avoidance in adolescence ( American Psychiatric Association, 2013 ; Kerns & Kendall, 2012 ; White et al, 2009 ). However, autistic children experience more compulsions, higher social avoidance and anxieties linked to sensory sensitivities ( Acker et al, 2018 ). Understanding anxiety in autistic children is essential, as having both an anxiety disorder and being autistic is associated with increased self-injurious behaviour, depression and parental stress compared to autism alone ( Kerns et al, 2015 ) and decreased quality of life ( van Steensel et al, 2012 ).…”

Section: Anxiety In Autismmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Anxiety and intellectual functioning in autistic children: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Mingins

Tarver

Waite

et al. 2020

Autism

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Autistic children experience higher levels of anxiety than their peers. Making appropriate diagnoses of anxiety disorders and providing effective treatment for these children is particularly difficult. Inconsistent evidence suggests that levels of anxiety in autistic children are related to intellectual functioning. We provide the first meta-analysis of this evidence. A systematic search identified 49 papers for review. These papers included measures of anxiety and intelligence quotient in 18,430 autistic children. Studies employing correlations showed evidence of a significant relationship between intelligence quotient and anxiety in autistic children: children with higher intelligence quotient scored higher on measures of anxiety. Studies directly comparing groups of autistic children with and without intellectual disability also supported this conclusion. Most studies employing other designs also supported this finding. Employing a quality assessment framework identified common threats to validity. Many studies used measures of anxiety that were not validated across the samples they measure. This was most notable for those autistic children with an intellectual disability. It is vital that future research determines whether the identified relationship between intelligence quotient and anxiety reflects something important in the mechanism for anxiety in autistic children, or quantifies the lack of sensitivity of our measures of anxiety across different groups. Lay abstract Autistic children often experience higher levels of anxiety than their peers. It can be difficult to diagnose and treat anxiety disorders in autistic children, in part because of the high degree of variability in their underlying abilities and presentations. Some evidence suggests that autistic children with higher intelligence (as measured by intelligence quotient) experience higher levels of anxiety than autistic children with lower intelligence. However, the evidence is inconsistent, with other papers not finding a difference or finding higher levels of anxiety in autistic children with lower intelligence. In this article, we review existing literature to see whether autistic children with higher intelligence quotients have higher anxiety than autistic children with lower intelligence quotients. A systematic search of the literature was conducted which identified 49 papers on the topic. The methods of all the papers were reviewed using an objective quality assessment framework. When combining the data statistically, there was evidence that autistic children with higher intelligence quotients are more anxious than autistic children with lower intelligence quotients. The quality review raised common weaknesses across studies. Most importantly, few studies used measures of anxiety that have been shown to be valid for children with very low intelligence quotients. Similarly, many studies used measures of anxiety that have not been shown to be valid for autistic children. These factors are important because autistic children and those with low intelligence quotient may experience or understand anxiety differently. Future research should use fully validated measures to test whether high intelligence quotient is associated with high levels of anxiety in autistic children.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Anxiety In Autismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anxiety and intellectual functioning in autistic children: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Mingins

Tarver

Waite

et al. 2020

Autism

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Autistic adolescents not only have to negotiate forming their personal identity, but they also start to question their social identity and where they fit in, in terms of their minority group status within the majority culture of non-autistic peers (Ozonoff et al 2002), asking questions such as “are they just going to reject me?” of non-autistic peers (Acker et al 2018). Social Identity Theory (Tajfel & Turner 1979; Islam 2014) assumes that one part of the self-concept is defined by belonging to certain social groups.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

‘Who Am I?’: An Exploratory Study of the Relationships Between Identity, Acculturation and Mental Health in Autistic Adolescents

Cresswell

Cage

2019

J Autism Dev Disord

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Autistic adolescents are at increased risk of mental health difficulties. One potential factor contributing to this is identity development, although this hypothesis has been little explored. These adolescents also have to consider how autism forms their identity, a process called acculturation. This exploratory study examined the relationships between identity, acculturation and mental health in autistic adolescents. Twenty-four participants completed measures investigating identity, acculturation and mental health. Findings suggested mental health was not related to personal identity. Mental health scores did not differ between acculturation groups, however those aligned to non-autistic culture tended to generate more positive self-statements than those aligned to neither culture. These findings suggest autistic adolescents should be encouraged to explore autistic culture and supported in constructing their identity.

show abstract

“…The desire for social relationships, which generally increases during adolescence, can be impeded due to social difficulties including the risk for rejection of autistic youth by peers [ 12 ]. While in the process of forming their personal identity, autistic adolescents are developing their shared social identity, often perceiving themselves in a minority group status compared to their non-autistic peers [ 13 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring Three Core Psychological Elements When Treating Adolescents on the Autism Spectrum: Self-Awareness, Gender Identity, and Sexuality

Genovese

2021

Cureus

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

For those growing up on the autism spectrum, adolescence is associated with unique challenges. This narrative review explores three core psychological elements for clinicians to consider when treating adolescents on the autism spectrum: self-awareness, gender identity, and sexuality. Developmental tasks of adolescence include adaptation to a maturing mind and body, increased expectations for independence, and the ability to establish satisfying interpersonal relationships. What are welcome opportunities for nonautistic peers can become nearly insurmountable hurdles for autistic teens, which, in turn, could lead to crisis, particularly if skills needed for success in managing these tasks have not yet been acquired.

show abstract

‘Are they just gonna reject me?’ Male adolescents with autism making sense of anxiety: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

Cited by 30 publications

References 46 publications

Anxiety and intellectual functioning in autistic children: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Anxiety and intellectual functioning in autistic children: A systematic review and meta-analysis

‘Who Am I?’: An Exploratory Study of the Relationships Between Identity, Acculturation and Mental Health in Autistic Adolescents

Exploring Three Core Psychological Elements When Treating Adolescents on the Autism Spectrum: Self-Awareness, Gender Identity, and Sexuality

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About