Quality of life, gastrointestinal symptoms, sleep problems, social support, and social functioning in adults with autism spectrum disorder

Leader, Geraldine; Barrett, Amy; Ferrari, Chiara; Casburn, Mia; Maher, Leanne; Naughton, Katie; Arndt, Sophia; Mannion, Arlene

doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2021.103915

Cited by 27 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Not so much average HRV parameters over 24 h since this is very much dependent on activities performed during the day and night, but analysis of events and analysis of HRV during sleep ( 84 ). Children with ASD frequently suffer from difficulties falling asleep or nightmares ( 85 , 86 ). Research is ongoing to examine HRV descriptors for dynamic changes over time that are not captured by the classic short-term parameters ( 84 ).…”

Section: Does Measuring Hrv Parameters In Children With Asd Have Rele...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Autism Spectrum Disorder in Children Is Not Associated With Abnormal Autonomic Nervous System Function: Hypothesis and Theory

2022

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The quest to understand the pathophysiology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has led to extensive literature that purports to provide evidence for autonomic dysfunction based on heart rate and heart rate variability (HRV), in particular respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), a measure of parasympathetic functioning. Many studies conclude that autism is associated with vagal withdrawal and sympathetic hyperactivation based on HRV and electrodermal analyses. We will argue that a critical analysis of the data leads to the hypothesis that autonomic nervous system dysfunction is not a dominant feature of autism. Most children with ASD have normal parasympathetic baseline values and normal autonomic responses to social stimuli. The existing HRV and electrodermal data cannot lead to the conclusion of an over-excitation of the sympathetic nervous system. A small subgroup of ASD children in experimental settings has relatively low RSA values and relatively high heart rates. The data suggest that this is likely associated with a relatively high level of anxiety during study conditions, associated with co-morbidities such as constipation, or due to the use of psychoactive medication. Many studies interpret their data to conform with a preferred hypothesis of autonomic dysfunction as a trait of autism, related to the polyvagal theory, but the HRV evidence is to the contrary. HRV analysis may identify children with ASD having autonomic dysfunction due to co-morbidities.

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Section: Does Measuring Hrv Parameters In Children With Asd Have Rele...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Autism Spectrum Disorder in Children Is Not Associated With Abnormal Autonomic Nervous System Function: Hypothesis and Theory

2022

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“…In younger autistic children, the severity of somatic symptoms has been shown to correlate with other types of psychopathology, as well as core autism features such as repetitive behaviors and sensory hyper-reactivity (Mazurek et al, 2019). However, with the notable exceptions of sleep disturbance and GI symptoms (Leader, Barrett, et al, 2021;Leader, Dooley, et al, 2021;Mannion & Leader, 2016;Mazurek et al, 2013Mazurek et al, , 2014Yang et al, 2018), relationships between individual somatic symptoms and other clinical outcomes have not been systematically investigated in autistic people of any age group.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Current and lifetime somatic symptom burden among transition‐aged autistic young adults

Williams

Gotham

2022

Autism Research

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Somatic symptoms are the most common cause of outpatient medical visits in the general population, yet their presence and severity in individuals on the autism spectrum has rarely been studied. We sought to assess the prevalence, impact, and clinical correlates of 14 commonly reported somatic symptoms in a sample of 290 transition-aged autistic young adults (mean [SD] age: 23.10 [2.38] years, range 18-26; 76.7% diagnosed with autism before age 18) recruited from the Simons Foundation SPARK participant pool. A modified version of the Patient Health Questionnaire-15 was used to assess somatic symptom prevalence/impact, along with measures of depression, anxiety, autistic traits, and quality of life. Somatic symptom burden was much higher in autistic young adults than previously reported in the general population. The most commonly reported current symptoms were fatigue (72.8%), sleep problems (69.0%), and menstrual problems (61.4% of females). Moderate or severe symptom levels were reported by 53.9% of females and 18.75% of males in our cohort, with the odds of females endorsing any given symptom being 2-4 times greater than males. Both individual symptoms and total symptom burden were related to higher levels of depression, anxiety, and autistic traits, along with lower quality of life. Despite little research on this topic previously, somatic symptoms are highly prevalent in autistic young adults, particularly women. Future research is needed to investigate links between somatic symptoms, medical and psychiatric morbidity, and health care utilization in the autistic population.

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“…QoL has been reported to vary within the autistic population and across domains of QoL; therefore, caution may be needed when considering group-level comparisons ( Oakley et al, 2021 ). Better subjective QoL among younger autistic adults is associated with factors such as having good social and practical (professional or family) support ( Kamio et al, 2012 ; Leader et al, 2021 ; Mason et al, 2018 ; Renty & Roeyers, 2006 ), being employed ( Mason et al, 2018 ), having better sleep quality ( Leader et al, 2021 ), and better daily living skills ( Kamp-Becker et al., 2010 ). However intelligence quotient (IQ), age, or severity of autistic traits have been found to not be associated with QoL ( Kamp-Becker et al, 2010 ; Leader et al, 2021 ; van Heijst & Geurts, 2014 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social support and links to quality of life among middle-aged and older autistic adults

Charlton

McQuaid

Wallace

2022

Autism

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Social support has a positive impact on quality of life (QoL) in neurotypical older adults and young autistic adults, but the association for older autistic adults is unclear. Autistic adults ( n = 388; mean age = 40–83 years) were recruited via Simons Powering Autism Research for Knowledge (SPARK) Research Match. Participants completed questionnaires online querying demographic information, depression, and anxiety symptomatology, QoL (physical, psychological, social, environmental, and autism-specific) and social support (instrumental, subjective, and social interactions). Regression analyses examined whether different aspects of social support contributed to models explaining each domain of QoL. Models explaining QoL were significant. Subjective social support significantly contributed to the models for all aspects of QoL; social interactions contributed to the models for Physical and Psychological QoL, whereas instrumental support contributed to models for social, environmental and autism-specific QoL. Social support is an important contributor to the QoL of middle-aged and older autistic adults, after accounting for demographic factors and depression. Further studies are required to understand whether age-related changes in social support and QoL are the same for autistic as non-autistic older adults in order to identify and implement appropriate support. Lay abstract Social support can take many forms, such as practical help, time spent socially with others, or the satisfaction with personal relationships. Social support is known to affect quality of life (QoL) in both non-autistic older and autistic young adults. QoL reflects how satisfied an individual is with their life either overall or in a certain area. We know little about middle-aged and older autistic adults’ experiences of social support or QoL. In this study, 388 adults aged 40–83 years old, completed online questionnaires asking about background such as age and sex, depression and anxiety symptoms, QoL (physical, psychological, social, environmental, and autism-specific), and different types of social support. Even after taking into account background, depression, and anxiety, social support was important for individuals’ QoL. To our knowledge this is the first paper to examine the relationship between social support and QoL in middle-aged and older autistic adults. Improving social support may have a significant impact on the QoL of older autistic adults. Future studies should examine whether age-related changes in social support (size, content, and arrangement of social networks) that are common in non-autistic aging, also occur among older autistic adults.

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Quality of life, gastrointestinal symptoms, sleep problems, social support, and social functioning in adults with autism spectrum disorder

Cited by 27 publications

References 47 publications

Autism Spectrum Disorder in Children Is Not Associated With Abnormal Autonomic Nervous System Function: Hypothesis and Theory

Autism Spectrum Disorder in Children Is Not Associated With Abnormal Autonomic Nervous System Function: Hypothesis and Theory

Current and lifetime somatic symptom burden among transition‐aged autistic young adults

Social support and links to quality of life among middle-aged and older autistic adults

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