ArticleAutism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research2021
The impact of COVID-19 on stress, anxiety, and coping in youth with and without autism and their parents.
Article in Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 47 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
47 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 129 citations in OpenAlex.
- Research Review: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of children and young people with pre-existing mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions - a systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal studies.Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines · 2025Pooled it
- Siblings of Persons with Disabilities: A Systematic Integrative Review of the Empirical Literature.Clinical child and family psychology review · 2025Pooled it
- Mental Health Is a Family Affair-Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on the Associations between Mental Health Problems in Parents and Children during the COVID-19 Pandemic.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Pooled it
- Prevalence and Predictors of Missed Appointments Within an Outpatient Behavioral Clinic for Autistic Children.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2026Article
- Facing Change and Uncertainty: Lessons Learned from Autistic Children and their Families During the COVID-19 Pandemic.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2026Article
- Sex/gender differences in autistic traits, intelligence and executive functions of school-aged autistic children without intellectual disability.Archives of women's mental health · 2026Article
- The Impact of COVID-19 on the Mental Health and Wellbeing of Children with Special Education Needs and Disabilities: A Systematic Review.Review journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2026Review
- Caught in the Web of the Net? Part II: A Motivation-Based Developmental Psychopathology Model for the Aberrant Internet Use in (Young) People with Autism Spectrum Disorder.Clinical child and family psychology review · 2025Review
- Coping strategies in young people during the COVID-19 pandemic: rapid review.BJPsych bulletin · 2025Review
- Pre-pandemic Executive Function Protects Against Pandemic Anxiety in Children with and Without Autism Spectrum Disorder.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2024Article
- Experiences of caregivers of children with autism during the COVID-19 pandemic: A scoping review.The South African journal of communication disorders = Die Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir Kommunikasieafwykings · 2024Article
- Trajectory of depressive symptoms over adolescence in autistic and neurotypical youth.Molecular autism · 2024Article
- Association between anxiety, depression and quality of life in male and female German students during the COVID-19 pandemic.BMC psychiatry · 2024Article
- The relationship between autistic traits and the stress of social isolation: Development of an explanatory model.Heliyon · 2024Article
- Effectiveness of the mobile Stress Autism Mate Junior application in reducing stress and improving quality of life in adolescents with autism: a pilot study.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2024Article
- Psychological burden of hearing-impaired children and their parents through the COVID-19 pandemic.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
- The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on stress and coping in parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.PloS one · 2024Article
- Alignment of Canada's COVID-19 policy response with barriers and facilitators for coping reported by caregivers of youth with developmental delays, disorders, and disabilities.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciences · 2024Article
- Silver linings of the Covid-19 pandemic… for some! Comparing Experiences and Social demographic characteristics of autistic and non-autistic children with SEND in England.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2023Article
- Community-guided measurement-based care for autistic youth and adults receiving psychotherapy: A conceptual overview and pilot implementation study of MBC-AUT.Autism : the international journal of research and practice · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
In the wake of COVID-19, the world has become a more uncertain environment-a breeding ground for stress and anxiety, especially for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The study examined stress, anxiety, and coping in a data-driven, real-time assessment of 122 youth with and without ASD and their parents at the height of the COVID-19 shutdown and three-months later. Standardized measures were administered to ascertain stress and coping explicitly related to the pandemic (RSQ COVID-19-Child [self-report], Adult [self-report from the guardian of youth], Parent [report about child]) and anxiety (STAI-C, STAI-A). Multivariate, univariate analyses of variance and hierarchical regression were used. ASD youth endorsed more Trait anxiety and response to specific stressors (e.g., virus). Caregivers of youth with ASD (Adults) self-reported higher anxiety, yet scores were elevated for both groups. Adults of youth with ASD reported more stress, especially related to the virus, access to healthcare, and concern for the future. In the TD group, youth and adults used more Primary and Secondary Control Coping whereas ASD youth and adults used more Disengagement Coping. Adult stress was the primary predictor of parent perception of child stress as well as Child self-reported stress. While the ASD group was consistently high compared to the TD group, there were no significant changes over time for stress or anxiety. Results reveal striking differences in youth with ASD and their parents regarding stress, anxiety, and coping. Findings highlight the need for essential support, access to services, and strategies to enhance psychological and emotional well-being. LAY SUMMARY: This study examined stress, anxiety, and coping related to the COVID-19 pandemic in 61 youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and 61 youth with typical development (TD) and their parents. Results showed that ASD youth reported more anxiety and stress. Adults of youth with ASD indicated higher self-reported anxiety and stress than adults of TD youth. TD youth and their parents reported using more adaptive coping strategies. Findings highlight the need for strategies to enhance psychological and emotional well-being.
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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.