ArticleBMC psychiatry2023
Affectivity, sexuality, and autism spectrum disorder: qualitative analysis of the experiences of autistic young adults and their families.
Article in BMC psychiatry, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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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.
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 6 citations in OpenAlex.
- A systematic review of sexual health, knowledge, and behavior in Autism Spectrum Disorder.BMC psychiatry · 2025Pooled it
- When "Integration" fails to address loneliness: interventional challenges of parent-led organizations for autistic children's social/emotional loneliness and health equity in China.BMC public health · 2026Article
- "We Want Our Therapist to Talk With Us About Sexuality and Gender Diversity": Qualitative Perspectives of Adolescents and Professionals in Youth Mental Health Care.Clinical child psychology and psychiatry · 2026Article
- Offenders with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Clinical Case Series and Diagnostic Considerations in Forensic Psychiatry.Psychology research and behavior management · 2026Article
- Sex education in adolescents with ASD: a qualitative study on the role of parents in the Italian context.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
- Loneliness from the Perspective of Young People with Autism and/or ADHD: A Thematic Analysis of Adolescents' Experiences and Understanding.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAutistic people have communication, sensorial, and social difficulties, which on many occasions, make their adaptation on the sexual and affective levels difficult. For this reason, it is important to know the opinion of individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and their families, to offer this perspective to professionals to facilitate adapted health education programs in mental health units.
methodsThis qualitative descriptive design presents the experiences of autistic individuals and their families in relation to the affective-sexual experiences from individual, family, and social perspectives. Two focus group sessions were held with eight family members and seven individual semi-structured interviews with autistic young adults. The transcripts were qualitatively analysed using content analysis.
resultsFour themes (Family and social dynamic; Social behaviour of the autistic individual; Affective-sexual relationships; Addressing affective and sex education) and 13 related categories emerged from these results. Communication and social interaction problems act as barriers for young adults when developing affective-sexual relationships, leading to the emergence of negative feelings and experiences that reinforce avoidance behaviours, further intensifying their difficulties in interacting with others. Families, especially mothers, exhibit a poor perception of their ability to provide affective-sexual guidance, leading to anxiety and frustration. There are also reports of poor sex education and lack of support systems. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The experiences of young people and their families are sometimes conflicting when it comes to affectivity and sexuality, but the parental role emerges as relevant in the sex education process. Families play a pivotal role in sex education, which is why professionals should provide them with support and information through health education programmes, foster empathetic communication and promote sexual and emotional development that is adapted to the characteristics and interests of autistic people.
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