Rumination and Perceived Impairment Associated With Depressive Symptoms in a Verbal Adolescent–Adult ASD Sample
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The aim of this study was to examine the association between depressive symptoms and several psychosocial constructs (insight into autism symptoms, rumination, desire for social interaction, and satisfaction with social support) that may play a role in the development or maintenance of depression in verbally fluent adolescents and adults with ASD. Participants included 50 individuals with ASD and verbal IQ ≥ 70, aged 16–35 (sample size varied by measure). Elevated depressive symptoms on the B eck D epression I nventory, 2 nd edition (BDI‐II), were associated with greater self‐perceived, autism‐related impairments (n = 48), greater rumination (n = 21), and lower perceived social support (n = 37). Rumination tended to moderate the association between self‐perceived autism symptoms and BDI‐II scores (n = 21), and was significantly associated with ASD‐related insistence on sameness behaviors (n = 18). An unexpected relationship between depressive features and social participation and motivation will need to be clarified by longitudinal research. These and similar findings contribute to our understanding of the phenomenology of depression in ASD, which is critical to the development of practical prevention and treatment. Autism Res 2014, 7: 381–391. © 2014 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Lack of societal understanding of autism and feeling misunderstood may contribute to stress, isolation, and depression among autistic adults.
“Previous research has found that lack of societal understanding of autism and feeling misunderstood may contribute to stress, isolation, and depression among autistic adults (Cage et al., 2018;Gotham et al., 2014;Griffith et al., 2012;Han et al., 2022).”
From A mixed methods study of autistic adults' mental health therapy experiences (2023) · cites this paper as Gotham et al., 2014
The Results (Hypothesis 4; page not provided) associate lower satisfaction with social support with higher depressive ratings in a verbal adolescent–adult ASD sample. The Introduction also discusses loneliness and social difficulties. Neither passage addresses lack of societal understanding, feeling misunderstood, or stress as the proposed pathway. (LLM, conf=0.87)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredACT presents a promising alternative to CBT for autistic individuals, as it addresses some of the difficulties associated with core symptoms of autism, including lack of cognitive flexibility and perseveration or rumination.
“ACT presents a promising alternative to CBT for autistic individuals, as it addresses some of the difficulties associated with core symptoms of autism, including lack of cognitive flexibility (Geurts et al ., 2009) and perseveration or rumination (Gotham et al ., 2014; Patel et al ., 2017).”
From ACT-i, an insomnia intervention for autistic adults: A pilot study (2023) · cites this paper as Gotham et al., 2014
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- Authors
- Gotham, K., Bishop, S. L., Brunwasser, S., & Lord, C.
- Affiliations
- Vanderbilt University (US)
- Weill Cornell Medicine (US)
- Corresponding author
- Gotham, Katherine
- Venue
- Autism Research
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2014-05-06
- Volume
- 7
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 381-391
- ISSN
- 1939-3792 (ISSN-L)
- 1939-3806
- PMC
- PMC4429601
- OpenAlex
- W1943369087
- Cited by
- 149
- References
- 72
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 23 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 16 · 2021: 21 · 2020: 16 · 2019: 13 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 9 · 2016: 11 · 2015: 6 · 2014: 2
- FWCI
- 5.21
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Autism Research (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health (T32-MH18921, P30HD15052, R01MH081873-01A1, RC1MH08972, R01HD065277)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Child Nutrition and Feeding Issues
- Keywords
- rumination, depressive symptoms, autism spectrum disorder, adolescents and adults with autism, social support, insistence on sameness
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Child Development Disorders, Pervasive, Depressive Disorder, Female, Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Male, Personal Satisfaction, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Social Behavior, Social Support, Young Adult
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