ArticleAutism : the international journal of research and practice2022
The impact of early stages of COVID-19 on the mental health of autistic adults in the United Kingdom: A longitudinal mixed-methods study.
Article in Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 24 papers, 1 of them a synthesis 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
24 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 45 citations in OpenAlex.
- Exploring the landscape of adult autism research in psychology: a bibliometric and network analysis.Frontiers in psychology · 2024Pooled it
- 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
- Socialization, Education, and Learning for the Internet (SELFI): A Pilot RCT of a Social Media Skills Group Program for Autistic Adults.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2024Trial
- Reacting, Retreating, Regulating, and Reconnecting: How Autistic Adults in the United Kingdom Use Time Alone for Well-Being.Autism in adulthood · 2026Article
- Impact of COVID-19 on Adaptive Skills and Psychiatric Symptoms in South Korean Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder.JAACAP open · 2025Article
- Depressive symptoms and chronic disease trajectories and predictors in middle-aged and older adults in China: An eight-year multi-trajectory analysis.Global health & medicine · 2025Article
- Changes in Child Health Care, Health, and Caregiver Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Children with Autism and Special Health Care Needs.Maternal and child health journal · 2025Article
- The Experiences of Autistic People When Facemask Wearing and Interacting with Masked Individuals.Autism in adulthood · 2024Article
- Autistic adults' experiences of managing wellbeing and implications for social prescribing.Disability & society · 2024Article
- Advice for autistic people considering a career in academia.Autism : the international journal of research and practice · 2023Article
- Lockdown Experiences and Views on Future Research Participation of Autistic Adults in the UK During the First 6 Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic.Autism in adulthood · 2023Article
- A Qualitative Study of Autistic Adults' Quality of Life During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Lockdowns.Autism in adulthood · 2023Article
- Article
- Respite and connection: Autistic adults' reflections upon nature and well-being during the Covid-19 pandemic.Autism : the international journal of research and practice · 2023Article
- Mental health of autistic adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: The impact of perceived stress, intolerance of uncertainty, and coping style.Autism : the international journal of research and practice · 2023Article
- Reductions in Depression and Anxiety Among Autistic Adults Participating in an Intervention to Promote Healthy Relationships.The American journal of occupational therapy : official publication of the American Occupational Therapy Association · 2023Article
- "I'm the Family Ringmaster and Juggler": Autistic Parents' Experiences of Parenting During the COVID-19 Pandemic.Autism in adulthood · 2023Article
- Mental-health before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in adults with neurodevelopmental disorders.Journal of psychiatric research · 2023Article
- 'The key to this is not so much the technology. It's the individual who is using the technology': Perspectives on telehealth delivery for autistic adults during the COVID-19 pandemic.Autism : the international journal of research and practice · 2023Article
- Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Autistic Adults: a Scoping Review.Current developmental disorders reports · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
lay abstractDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, high levels of depression, anxiety and stress have been reported in the general population. However, much less has been reported about the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of autistic people. What we did: In the present study, we investigated how the mental health of autistic adults in the United Kingdom changed during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. In total, 133 participants completed an online survey at two different time points. Of the 133 participants, 70 completed the survey at the first time point just before the onset of the national lockdown. This allowed us to look at changes in their mental health, from before the lockdown to 10 to 15 weeks during lockdown. All participants (133) told us about their experiences of the pandemic. What we found: While many autistic adults told us that their mental health worsened, people's experience varied. For some autistic adults, aspects of mental health (e.g. anxiety, stress) actually improved. Participants also described social changes that had occurred, at home and in the outside world. They described feelings of uncertainty during the pandemic, and discussed how the pandemic had affected some of their previous coping strategies. Participants also told us about their difficulties in accessing healthcare services and food during the early stages of the pandemic. In our article, we discuss these findings and focus on what needs to change to ensure that autistic people are better supported as the pandemic continues.
Indexed as
Identifiers
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.