Autistic adults commonly experience anxiety and worry, although knowledge on how worry presents and the content, extent, and experiences among autistic adults is limited. A convergent parallel mixed-methods approach was used to explore the presentation and experiences of worry in autistic and non-autistic adults. Quantitative surveys were used to compare the content and extent of worry in autistic adults to non-autistic adults, with semi-structured interviews also conducted with autistic adults to gain a deeper understanding of the experiences, impacts and content of worry in autistic adults. Findings indicated that autistic adults demonstrated clinically significant levels of worry which were substantially higher than non-autistic adults. Autistic adults described worry as a cycle of negative thoughts impacting their daily life. Findings indicate that autistic adults may worry more than non-autistic adults, impacting on participation in activities of daily living, sleep, and mental health.
CITATION STYLE
Black, M. H., Greenwood, D. L., Hwa, J. C. C., Pivac, J., Tang, J., & Clarke, P. J. F. (2023). What Are You Worried About? Content and Extent of Worry in Autistic Adults. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-023-05963-2
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