Alexithymia traits outweigh autism traits in the explanation of depression in adults with autism

AbstractWhen contemplating the alarming depression rates in adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), there is a need to find factors explaining heightened symptoms of depression. Beyond the impact of autism traits, markedly increased levels of alexithymia traits should be considered as a candidate for explaining why individuals with ASD report higher levels of depressive symptoms. Here, we aim to identify the extent to which autism or alexithymia traits indicate depressive symptoms in ASD and whether the pattern of association are specific to ASD. Data of a large (N = 400) representative clinical population of adults referred to autism diagnostics have been investigated and split by cases with a confirmed ASD diagnosis (N = 281) and cases with a ruled out ASD diagnosis (N = 119). Dominance analysis revealed the alexithymia factor, difficulties in identifying feelings, as the strongest predictor for depressive symptomatology in ASD, outweighing autism traits and other alexithymia factors. This pattern of prediction was not specific to ASD and was shared by clinical controls from the referral population with a ruled out ASD diagnosis. Thus, the association of alexithymia traits with depression is not unique to ASD and may constitute a general psychopathological mechanism in clinical samples.

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Anxiety and depression in adults with autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291718002283 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 49 (4) ◽

pp. 559-572 ◽

Cited By ~ 76

Author(s):

Matthew J Hollocks ◽

Jian Wei Lerh ◽

Iliana Magiati ◽

Richard Meiser-Stedman ◽

Traolach S Brugha

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Anxiety And Depression ◽

Clinical Samples ◽

Adults With Autism ◽

Adults With Asd ◽

The Impact

AbstractAdults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are thought to be at disproportionate risk of developing mental health comorbidities, with anxiety and depression being considered most prominent amongst these. Yet, no systematic review has been carried out to date to examine rates of both anxiety and depression focusing specifically on adults with ASD. This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the rates of anxiety and depression in adults with ASD and the impact of factors such as assessment methods and presence of comorbid intellectual disability (ID) diagnosis on estimated prevalence rates. Electronic database searches for studies published between January 2000 and September 2017 identified a total of 35 studies, including 30 studies measuring anxiety (n= 26 070; mean age = 30.9,s.d.= 6.2 years) and 29 studies measuring depression (n= 26 117; mean age = 31.1,s.d.= 6.8 years). The pooled estimation of current and lifetime prevalence for adults with ASD were 27% and 42% for any anxiety disorder, and 23% and 37% for depressive disorder. Further analyses revealed that the use of questionnaire measures and the presence of ID may significantly influence estimates of prevalence. The current literature suffers from a high degree of heterogeneity in study method and an overreliance on clinical samples. These results highlight the importance of community-based studies and the identification and inclusion of well-characterized samples to reduce heterogeneity and bias in estimates of prevalence for comorbidity in adults with ASD and other populations with complex psychiatric presentations.

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Socio-emotional determinants of depressive symptoms in adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review

Autism ◽

10.1177/1362361320908101 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 24 (4) ◽

pp. 995-1010 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Isaac C Smith ◽

Susan W White

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Systematic Review ◽

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Social Motivation ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Adults With Autism ◽

Symptoms Of Depression ◽

Adolescents And Adults

Co-occurring problems with mood and anxiety among adolescents and adults on the autism spectrum are highly prevalent and contribute to poor outcomes and diminished quality of life. The current study’s principal aim was to evaluate variation in the presentation of depression symptomatology among adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorder, specifically to determine if social motivation may be implicated in an autism spectrum disorder–specific subtype of depression. A systematic review was conducted, with an initial search conducted in February 2018 and a search update conducted in November 2019, yielding 48 articles which met inclusion criteria. Results support other recent work indicating that symptoms of depression are highly prevalent among adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorder. Coding of study variables related to core autism spectrum disorder symptoms provided initial evidence for the proposition of a conceptual model implicating social motivation in the etiology of depression among a subset of individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Lay abstract Many adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorder experience difficulty with symptoms of depression. These symptoms can contribute to poor quality of life and lack of independence for adolescents and adults. To better understand these symptoms, we conducted a review of articles that examined the presentation of depression specific to autism spectrum disorder. Our goals in conducting this study were (1) to examine whether depression may be associated with symptoms that are common among people with autism spectrum disorder, such as loneliness or poor social motivation; (2) to determine whether people with autism spectrum disorder experience depression in a different way than the general population; and (3) to add to other recent studies that have examined how common depression is in autism spectrum disorder and how it is typically measured. Our study reviewed 48 papers on this topic. Results showed that a substantial proportion of people with autism spectrum disorder experience significant symptoms of depression. We related our results to social factors commonly studied in this field (i.e. social motivation) and proposed a new model for the development of depression in this population.

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Participation in recreational activities buffers the impact of perceived stress on quality of life in adults with autism spectrum disorder

Autism Research ◽

10.1002/aur.1753 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 10 (5) ◽

pp. 973-982 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Lauren Bishop-Fitzpatrick ◽

Leann Smith DaWalt ◽

Jan S. Greenberg ◽

Marsha R. Mailick

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Perceived Stress ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Adults With Autism ◽

Recreational Activities ◽

The Impact

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The Impact of Autism Traits and Psychosis Traits on Mentalizing in Individuals with and without Autism Spectrum Disorder

10.17918/4gs6-6p55 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Lauren Bradstreet

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Autism Traits ◽

The Impact

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Executive Functions in Young Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities ◽

10.1177/1088357615609306 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 32 (1) ◽

pp. 31-43 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Danielle I. Brady ◽

Donald H. Saklofske ◽

Vicki L. Schwean ◽

Janine M. Montgomery ◽

Keoma J. Thorne ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Young Adults ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Individual Variability ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Typically Developing ◽

Adults With Autism ◽

High Functioning ◽

Normative Expectations ◽

The Impact

Researchers have proposed that autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized, at least in part, by executive function (EF) difficulties associated with the integrity of the frontal lobe. Given the paucity of research regarding EFs in young adults with high functioning ASD (HF-ASD), this research involves an examination of various indices of EF related to inhibition, planning, and generativity. Results indicate that although young adults with HF-ASD as a group met normative expectations on all measures of EF, they also exhibited considerable individual variability relative to their age- and sex-matched typically developing peers. These findings have important research and clinical implications, including the need to carefully consider the impact of the research comparison group, and to recognize individual variability in executive functioning among young adults with HF-ASD.

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Supplemental Material for Proactive Control in Adolescents and Young Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Unimpaired but Associated With Symptoms of Depression

Journal of Abnormal Psychology ◽

10.1037/abn0000527.supp ◽

2020 ◽

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Young Adults ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Adolescents And Young Adults ◽

Proactive Control ◽

Adults With Autism ◽

Symptoms Of Depression ◽

Young Adults With Autism

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Development of a patient-centered conceptual model of the impact of living with autism spectrum disorder

Autism ◽

10.1177/1362361317718987 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 22 (8) ◽

pp. 953-969

Author(s):

Fiona McDougall ◽

Thomas Willgoss ◽

Steve Hwang ◽

Federico Bolognani ◽

Lorraine Murtagh ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Clinical Trials ◽

Conceptual Model ◽

Outcome Measures ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Patient Centered ◽

Adults With Autism ◽

Adolescents And Adults ◽

The Impact

The aim of this study was to generate a patient-centered conceptual model of the impact of living with autism spectrum disorder, which can be used to support the selection of outcome measures for clinical trials. Following an initial literature review to identify preliminary concepts and inform an interview guide, in-depth face-to-face interviews were conducted with adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorder (IQ ⩾ 70) (n = 10), as well as parents of children, adolescents, and adults with autism spectrum disorder (IQ ⩾ 70) (n = 26). Data were analyzed using established qualitative research methods. The resultant conceptual model contains three interrelated domains reflecting core symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (communication deficits, socialization deficits, and restrictive, repetitive patterns of behavior), three domains reflecting associated symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (physical, cognitive, and emotional/behavioral), and three domains representing the impacts of living with autism spectrum disorder (impacts on activities of daily living, school/work, and social life). Interview respondents also cited social communication deficits as priority targets for new treatments. The conceptual model provides a patient-centered perspective of relevant concepts of autism spectrum disorder from the perspectives of people with autism spectrum disorder and their parents and offers a valuable tool for identifying valid patient-centered outcome measures for future clinical trials.

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