Self-Reported Stress and Questionnaires in People With Autism Spectrum Disorder: a Systematic Review

Abstract

Background: To gain more insight into the experience of stress in individuals with ASD, it is important to use appropriate self-report questionnaires. The goal of this systematic review was to provide an overview of these. Method: The PRISMA guidelines were followed and four online databases were systematically searched. Results: Seven questionnaires have been used previously in individuals with ASD. None of the 22 included studies intended to assess the psychometric properties, leading towards scarce evidence concerning their reliability and validity in this population. Conclusions: It is important to consider which concept of stress one aims to measure as not all questionnaires cover the same aspects of stress. Further research concerning psychometric properties of the questionnaires in this population is required.