Autistic traits are associated with frequent psychological distress, suicidal ideation, and everyday functional challenges. These associations may be especially prominent in women. Some women with autistic traits “camouflage” feelings of awkwardness in typical social situations by effortfully engaging in expected social behaviors. We explored camouflaging because emerging evidence posits an association between camouflaging behaviors and poorer outcomes related to mental health, daily functioning, and access to mental health care. We recruited a sample of 58 women (age M = 25 years; IQ M = 115) who reported that they find social situations confusing and who scored high on a measure of broad autistic traits ( Broad Autism Phenotype Questionnaire score > 3). The majority of participants reported significant levels of psychological distress, suicidal ideation, and daily functioning difficulties. Regression models showed that camouflaging efforts ( Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire) and autistic traits ( Social Responsiveness Scale, Second Edition) modestly but significantly predicted psychological distress and functional challenges, respectively. In a subgroup of participants with high Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire scores, camouflaging scores were significantly associated with psychological distress and functional challenges. Camouflaging may help predict when clinicians should be concerned about higher mental health distress in autistic women and may be beneficial to measure as part of a comprehensive, multimethod assessment of mental health in women who report difficulties fitting into social situations. Lay Abstract Women who try to hide or “camouflage” their autistic traits are likely to report that they feel distressed, think of suicide, and/or struggle to function in everyday life. We asked 58 women with autistic traits to complete questionnaires about camouflaging and mental health. Most of these women did not have a formal diagnosis of autism, yet a majority reported that they camouflaged autistic traits, and a large majority reported significant mental health challenges. Some researchers have suggested that women with autistic traits are more likely than autistic men to experience mental health challenges because women may try more to “fit in” socially by camouflaging their autistic traits. Analyses showed that camouflaging was associated with feeling distressed (depressed, anxious, and/or stressed). For women who reported above-average levels of camouflaging, camouflaging was also associated with having thoughts about suicide and struggling to function in everyday life. Trying to camouflage autistic traits was associated with mental health challenges, regardless of whether those traits were very mild or more severe. The findings of this study may influence how mental health professionals evaluate and treat women with autistic traits.

The effectiveness and impacts of a school-based, trauma/grief-focused group treatment program for war-exposed youth in Bosnia and Herzegovina were investigated using semistructured focus groups, conducted separately for students and their school counselor group leaders. Overall, students' and leaders' evaluations of the groups were generally positive. General themes of outcomes and impacts perceived by students and group leaders include: acquisition of coping skills and attitudes, willingness to advocate for peers, improved interpersonal relationships, negative impacts, general positive impacts, impacts in the schools, impacts on the group and logistics of the program, and broader impacts on the perception of mental health in the community. The broad positive impacts of this program suggest that trauma/grief-focused group treatment intervention programs targeting trauma-exposed youth may be effective on multiple levels with war-exposed youth and their communities.

Many people diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) also experience significant symptoms of anxiety, while many people with anxiety disorders likewise experience social difficulties. These concerns can be difficult to tease apart in general clinical settings. The Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) is one of the most frequently used measures of dimensional ASD symptoms. In order to investigate the overlap of autism and anxiety on the SRS, we compared three groups of adults (an ASD group, n = 40; a high anxious group, n = 56; and a typical comparison group, n = 29) using the new Adult Self Report version of the SRS-2nd Edition (SRS-2-ASR) alongside a battery of anxiety questionnaires. Based on previous research with children from the parent-report SRS (first edition), we hypothesized that the SRS-2-ASR would have difficulty discriminating between the ASD and high anxious groups. Results showed that both these clinical groups scored significantly higher on the SRS than a typical control group. Discriminant validity was poor, including sensitivity of 0.65 when including all participants and 0.48 when only the two clinical groups were included. In particular, the Social Motivation subscale of the SRS-ASR failed to distinguish between ASD and anxiety groups. As recommended in the SRS-2 manual, we highlight the need for caution when using the SRS-2-ASR to support diagnostic decision making, especially in clinical settings involving anxiety, ADHD, or other concerns that can affect reciprocal social communication and/or behavioral flexibility. Autism Res 2017. © 2017 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Autism Res 2017, 10: 1215-1220. © 2017 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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This study examined psychotherapy utilization, presenting concerns, reported distress levels, and psychotherapy outcomes among Polynesian American students presenting for services at a counseling center at a large intermountain university on the mainland U.S. We collected data at intake, during therapy sessions, and at termination for 415 Polynesian American students over a 17-year period. Polynesian American students were equally likely to utilize counseling services as European American students but were more likely to drop out earlier. At intake these students shared higher numbers of presenting concerns and greater levels of selfreported emotional and psychological distress than did European American students. Implications for counseling center programs and services are discussed.