Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32267168›Full record

Trial reportAutism : the international journal of research and practice2020

Self-guided mindfulness and cognitive behavioural practices reduce anxiety in autistic adults: A pilot 8-month waitlist-controlled trial of widely available online tools.

Sebastian B Gaigg, Paul E Flaxman, Gracie McLaven, Ritika Shah, Dermot M Bowler, Brenda Meyer, Amanda Roestorf, Corinna Haenschel, Jacqui Rodgers, Mikle South

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 26 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
26citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

26 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Feasibility Study of a Novel App-Based Anxiety Intervention for Autistic People.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research · 2026
    Trial
  4. Trial
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Inner experiences, mental health, and well-being in autistic and non-autistic adults.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research · 2024
    Article
  10. Article
  11. Review
  12. Article
  13. A qualitative exploration of an autism-specific self-compassion program: The ASPAA.Autism : the international journal of research and practice · 2024
    Article
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. Article
  17. Article
  18. A Study on Online Intervention for Early Childhood Eating Disorders during COVID-19.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022
    Article
  19. Article
  20. Adults with Autism: Changes in Understanding Since DSM-111.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2021
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Sebastian B GaiggCity, University of London, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-2644-7145
Paul E FlaxmanCity, University of London, London, UK.
Gracie McLavenCity, University of London, London, UK.
Ritika ShahCity, University of London, London, UK.
Dermot M BowlerCity, University of London, London, UK.
Brenda MeyerUniversity of Westminster, UK.
Amanda RoestorfCity, University of London, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-2355-9299
Corinna HaenschelCity, University of London, London, UK.
Jacqui RodgersNewcastle University, UK.
Mikle SouthBrigham Young University, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-0152-1257

Funding

Medical Research Council MR/K016911/1
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

lay abstractAnxiety in autism is an important target for psychological therapies because it is very common and because it significantly impacts upon quality of life and well-being. Growing evidence suggests that cognitive behaviour therapies and mindfulness-based therapies can help autistic individuals learn to manage feelings of anxiety but access to such therapies remains problematic. In the current pilot study, we examined whether existing online cognitive behaviour therapy and mindfulness-based therapy self-help tools can help reduce anxiety in autistic adults. Specifically, 35 autistic adults were asked to try either an existing online cognitive behaviour therapy (n = 16) or mindfulness-based therapy (n = 19) programme while a further 19 autistic adults served as a waitlist comparison group. A first important finding was that 23 of the 35 (66%) participants who tried the online tools completed them, suggesting that such tools are, in principle, acceptable to many autistic adults. In addition, adults in the cognitive behaviour therapy and mindfulness-based therapy conditions reported significant decreases in anxiety over 3 and to some extent also 6 months that were less apparent in the waitlist group of participants. On broader measures of mental health and well-being, the benefits of the online tools were less apparent. Overall, the results suggest that online self-help cognitive behaviour therapy and mindfulness-based therapy tools should be explored further as a means of providing cost-effective mental health support to at least those autistic individuals who can engage effectively with such online tools.

Indexed as

Autism Spectrum DisorderAutistic DisorderMindfulnessAdultAnxietyCognitionHumansPilot ProjectsQuality of Lifeanxietyautismcognitive-behavioural therapymindfulnessonline

Identifiers

PMID32267168
PMCPMC7418273

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.