Experience of Trauma and PTSD Symptoms in Autistic Adults: Risk of PTSD Development Following DSM‐5 and Non‐DSM‐5 Traumatic Life Events

Abstract

Research to date suggests that individuals with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) may be at increased risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following exposure to traumatic life events. It has been posited that characteristics of ASD may affect perceptions of trauma, with a wider range of life events acting as possible catalysts for PTSD development. This study set out to explore the nature of "trauma" for adults with ASD and the rates of self-reported PTSD symptomatology following DSM-5 and non-DSM-5 traumas-the latter being defined as those that would not meet the standard DSM-5 PTSD trauma Criterion A. Fifty-nine adults with ASD who reported exposure to traumatic events took part in the study, which involved completing a series of online questionnaires. Thirty-three individuals reported experiencing a "DSM-5" traumatic event (i.e., an event meeting DSM-5 PTSD Criterion A) and 35 reported a "non-DSM-5" traumautic event. Trauma-exposed ASD adults were found to be at increased risk of PTSD development, compared to previous general population statistics, with PTSD symptom scores crossing thresholds suggestive of probable PTSD diagnosis for more than 40% of ASD individuals following DSM-5 or non-DSM-5 traumas. A broader range of life events appear to be experienced as traumatic and may act as a catalyst for PTSD development in adults with ASD. Assessment of trauma and PTSD symptomatology should consider possible non-DSM-5 traumas in this population, and PTSD diagnosis and treatment should not be withheld simply due to the atypicality of the experienced traumatic event.

The psychological impact of COVID-19 among a sample of Italian individuals with High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder

“…breakdowns) appear to be experienced as traumatic and may act as a catalyst for PTSD development in adults with ASD (Mazzone et al 2012). On the other hand, it is quite surprising that the rates of the explored psychiatric symptoms in our sample of individuals with HF-ASD are not higher than the rates found in previous studies which explored the same symptoms in individuals with HF-ASD independently from the pandemic condition (Bishop-Fitzpatrick et al 2018;Mattila et al 2020;Mazzone et al 2012;Rumball et al 2020). As recent studies found in the general population (Gao et al 2020;Zhang et al 2020), in fact, we would have expected a higher prevalence of these symptoms also in individuals with HF-ASD during the outbreak and lockdown period, when compared to pre-epidemic rates.…”

“…Moreover, higher levels of perceived stress have already been underlined in individuals with HF-ASD and seem to correlate with poorer quality of life (Bishop-Fitzpatrick et al 2018). Recently, also symptoms related to PTSD have been found to be higher in individuals with HF-ASD than the general population (Rumball et al 2020). The higher prevalence of psychiatric symptoms in subjects with HF-ASD might have multiple explanations: rst, a biological vulnerability might predispose these individuals to develop comorbid psychiatric symptoms; second, in some cases, anxiety and depression might be part of the HF-ASD clinical phenotype itself and might not be the expression of a separate comorbid psychiatric disorder; third, environmental factors and stressful events, such as the lack of social support or the elevated anxiety and stress levels among family members of subjects with HF-ASD, might have a crucial role in the development of psychiatric symptoms (Mazzone et al 2012).…”

Intense connection and love: The experiences of autistic mothers

“…Across many different cultures, it has been shown that having a child brings mixed experiences; both positive, such as joy, warmth, and connection to another, as well as negative, such as increased stress (Louie et al, 2017). Autistic adults appear to have different experiences of various life events compared to those who are not autistic (Bargiela et al, 2016;Gillespie-Lynch et al, 2017;Morgan, 2020;Rumball et al, 2020;Sala et al, 2020). It is therefore possible that the experience of motherhood is somewhat different for autistic women than for non-autistic women.…”

The hidden inequalities of COVID-19

“…In the general population, prolonged periods of isolation lead to anxiety, depression and trauma (Holt-Lunstad et al, 2015; see also Holmes et al, 2020), all conditions to which autistic people are more vulnerable (e.g. Rumball et al, 2020). Autistic people who live on their own or who do not have extended support networks of family and friends might be particularly at risk, especially as the patterns of predictable daily life are thrown into chaos by the ever-changing demands of a society living with COVID-19 (den Houting, 2020).…”