SynthesisAutism : the international journal of research and practice2020
The relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and anxiety in autism: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis 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 85 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled 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.
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.
Who cites it
85 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 171 citations in OpenAlex.
- The relationships between anxiety, psychotic-like experiences and autism: a systematic review.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Pooled it
- Anxiety and autistic traits in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Pooled it
- Prevention and Reduction of Anxiety in Autistic Preschoolers Through an Autism-Specific Parent-Mediated Intervention: A Pilot Randomised Controlled Trial Evaluating Short and Longer Term Outcomes.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2026Trial
- A Pilot Randomised Control Trial Exploring the Feasibility and Acceptability of Delivering a Personalised Modular Psychological Intervention for Anxiety Experienced by Autistic Adults: Personalised Anxiety Treatment-Autism (PAT-A).Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2024Trial
- Valid when valued: A community-engaged framework and toolkit to improve identification of autistic people's motor difficulties in research and practice.Autism in adulthood · 2026Article
- A Cross-Neurotype Analysis of Camouflaging and Illness Perceptions in People with Central Sensitivity Syndromes.Autism in adulthood · 2026Article
- Understanding Autistic Adults' Psychological Experiences of Anxiety Problems: A Qualitative Interview Study.Autism : the international journal of research and practice · 2026Article
- Pain Expectation in Individuals With High Autistic Traits: Decision-Evaluation Processes and Oxytocin Modulation.Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · 2026Article
- Predicting emotional valence in autism: a preregistered study in the Bayesian Brain framework.Molecular autism · 2026Article
- Understanding the mechanistic links between neurodevelopmental traits and internalising problems: the mediating roles of intolerance of uncertainty and negative problem orientation.BMC psychiatry · 2026Article
- Child and Family Characteristics Associated with Symptoms of Anxiety in Autistic Children: A Biobank Study.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2026Article
- Psychometric Properties of the Parent-Rated Anxiety Scale in Spanish Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder.Child psychiatry and human development · 2026Article
- Autism related traits and anxiety in the general population are linked through intolerance of uncertainty and affect labeling.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- The Experiences of Autistic Healthcare Students in a Clinical Learning Environment: A Scoping Review.Autism : the international journal of research and practice · 2026Article
- Article
- Targeting intolerance of uncertainty in young children diagnosed with autism: A randomized controlled trial of a parent-mediated group intervention.JCPP advances · 2026Article
- Post-traumatic stress disorder in autistic and non-autistic adults: The impact of appraisals on reactions to traumatic events.Autism : the international journal of research and practice · 2026Article
- Exploring Alexithymia, Uncertainty, Anxious Arousal, and Social Anxiety as Mediators of the Relationship Between Sensory Processing Differences and Restricted and Repetitive Behaviors in Autistic Adults.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research · 2026Article
- Time to notice neurodiversity in eating disorder services: a three-year real-world analysis of autism, ADHD, and AuDHD.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
- Mediating effect of fear of happiness between intolerance of uncertainty and anxiety among Lebanese adults.Global mental health (Cambridge, England) · 2026Article
25 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
lay abstractPeople who find it especially hard to cope with the unexpected or unknown are said to have an intolerance of uncertainty. Autistic individuals often report a preference for certainty and experience levels of anxiety that can interfere with their daily life. Understanding more about the link between the intolerance of uncertainty and anxiety in autistic people might lead to better treatments for anxiety being developed. Therefore, this work aimed to review previous research in order to explore this link. Twelve studies were found and their results were compared and contrasted. The autistic people who participated in the studies completed questionnaires that suggested a large number of them experienced very high levels of anxiety and intolerance of uncertainty. Of 10 studies that used relevant statistics, nine found a statistically significant link between anxiety and the intolerance of uncertainty. In general, the strength of the link was about the same as previous research found in people who did not have a diagnosis of autism. This might mean that interventions that aim to help people who are intolerant of uncertainty could be effective for autistic individuals.
Indexed as
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.