Abstract
Background
Autistic people have worse mental health (MH) than non-autistic people. This proof-of-concept study explored feasibility of longitudinal research with autistic university students, focusing on their MH and coping styles across an academic year.
Methods
Twenty-two students took part at all timepoints. They completed four rounds of online MH questionnaires.
Results
Over 80% of students were retained. They started the year with high levels of all MH issues, which remained stable across the year. Network Change analysis showed the connections between MH and coping style changed over time.
Conclusions
Autistic students are engaged participants who are likely to take part in longitudinal research. While MH levels were stable, it may be that coping styles are a useful target for intervention.
Autistic people have worse mental health (MH) than non-autistic people. This proof-of-concept study explored feasibility of longitudinal research with autistic university students, focusing on their MH and coping styles across an academic year.
Methods
Twenty-two students took part at all timepoints. They completed four rounds of online MH questionnaires.
Results
Over 80% of students were retained. They started the year with high levels of all MH issues, which remained stable across the year. Network Change analysis showed the connections between MH and coping style changed over time.
Conclusions
Autistic students are engaged participants who are likely to take part in longitudinal research. While MH levels were stable, it may be that coping styles are a useful target for intervention.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders |
| Early online date | 8 Jul 2022 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 8 Jul 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This work was supported by the Elizabeth Blackwell Institute, University of Bristol, and the Welcome Trust Institutional Strategic Support Fund (ISSF3-204813/Z/16/Z). JL is also supported by Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellowship (213578/Z/18/Z).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022, The Author(s).
Research Groups and Themes
- SoE Centre for Psychological Approaches for Studying Education
Access to Document
- Full-text PDF (final published version)
This is the final published version of the article (version of record). It first appeared online via Springer at https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-022-05560-9 . Please refer to any applicable terms of use of the publisher.