Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38116050›Full record

ArticleAutism in adulthood2023

"I've Spent My Whole Life Striving to Be Normal": Internalized Stigma and Perceived Impact of Diagnosis in Autistic Adults.

Yunhe Huang, Julian N Trollor, Kitty-Rose Foley, Samuel R C Arnold

Open access · greenAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Autism in adulthood, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
18citing papers in PubMed
5.3field-weighted citation impact, top 4% of its field
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

18 citing papers in PubMed, 30 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Supporting a 'good life' for autistic children: Autistic adults' and parents' perspectives.Autism : the international journal of research and practice · 2026
    Article
  3. Autistic Adults and Loved Ones' Experiences of a Later Life Diagnosis.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2026
    Article
  4. Review
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  12. Review
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  14. Article
  15. Camouflaging, internalized stigma, and mental health in the general population.The International journal of social psychiatry · 2024
    Article
  16. Article
  17. Article
  18. 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

4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Yunhe HuangDepartment of Developmental Disability Neuropsychiatry (3DN), University of New South Wales Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0961-8475
Julian N TrollorDepartment of Developmental Disability Neuropsychiatry (3DN), University of New South Wales Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Kitty-Rose FoleyDepartment of Developmental Disability Neuropsychiatry (3DN), University of New South Wales Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Samuel R C ArnoldDepartment of Developmental Disability Neuropsychiatry (3DN), University of New South Wales Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2900-223X
UNSW Sydney · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Receiving an autism diagnosis in adulthood often leads to improved self-understanding and deeper self-reflection, which can have major impacts on people's well-being and sense of identity. However, autism diagnosis also exposes individuals to societal stigma, which may become internalized over time. This study aimed to explore relationships between psychological and service-related impacts of diagnosis and internalized stigma using mixed methods. Methods: One hundred forty-three autistic adults completed an online survey involving impact of diagnosis domains of Self-Understanding, Well-being, Clinician Support, and Service Access, internalized stigma, and open-ended questions on beliefs about autism diagnosis. Results: On average, participants reported mild levels of internalized stigma and positive impact of diagnosis in all domains except Service Access. Older age at diagnosis was positively associated with Clinician Support only. The path analysis model showed positive relationships between impact of diagnosis domains, with Self-Understanding having a positive effect on Well-being via lowered internalized stigma. We developed four themes of Conclusions: Self-understanding protects against the development of internalized autism stigma. Diagnosticians and service providers play an important role in improving self-understanding and well-being in autistic adults. More research is needed to understand the role of age at diagnosis and mechanisms behind positive identity development after autism diagnosis.

Indexed as

adultsautismdiagnosismixed methodsstigmawell-being

Identifiers

PMID38116050
PMCPMC10726184
OpenAlexW4316037446

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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.