ArticleJournal of autism and developmental disorders2026
Autistic Girls but Not Boys Show a Strong Association Between Internalizing Symptoms and Social Motivation.
Article in Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper, 1 of them a synthesis 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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Examining the Relationship Between Social Motivation and Internalizing Symptoms in Autistic People: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research · 2026Pooled it
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.
Funding
Abstract
The current study examined the associations between internalizing symptoms, social motivation, and gender among autistic and non-autistic youth. Caregivers of 386 participants age 6 to 14 years completed measures of their child's internalizing symptoms and social motivation. Correlation and hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to compare internalizing symptoms and social motivation across autistic and non-autistic girls and boys. Social motivation was found to be higher among non-autistic participants compared to autistic participants, with no significant gender differences observed in social motivation within groups. Social motivation was found to be a significant predictor of internalizing symptoms. The association between social motivation and internalizing symptoms varied by gender and diagnostic status. Higher internalizing symptom scores were associated with lower social motivation among autistic girls, non-autistic girls, and non-autistic boys, but no association was found among autistic boys. The current study found that the relations between social motivation and anxiety, depression, and somatization symptoms in autistic youth varied by gender. The strong association between internalizing symptoms and social motivation among autistic girls and not autistic boys may be due to the unique social experiences and expectations associated with the intersecting gender and neurodivergent identities of autistic girls. The findings of the current study underscore the value of adopting an intersectionality perspective by considering both the influence of gender and neurodivergent identities together when addressing the social experiences and mental health of autistic youth.
Indexed as
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39804530What 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.