Correlates of quality of life in autistic individuals

• Published in: Research in autism spectrum disorders Vol. 115; p. 102401
• Main Authors: MacKenzie, Kristen T., Theodat, Anabelle, Beck, Kelly B., Conner, Caitlin M., Mazefsky, Carla A., Eack, Shaun M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.07.2024
• Subjects: Anxiety; Autism; Depression; Employment; Quality of life; Social participation; Autism; Depression; Anxiety; Employment; Social participation; Quality of life; anxiety; depression; employment; social participation; quality of life; autism
• ISSN: 1750-9467; 1878-0237
• DOI: 10.1016/j.rasd.2024.102401

Quality of life is an important outcome to autistic individuals. However, the correlates of quality of life in this population are not well known. The purpose of this project was to investigate the extent to which employment, depression, anxiety, and social participation were associated with quality of life in autistic individuals. We also explored potential associations between emotion dysregulation and quality of life. Baseline data from two randomized control trials were used for analysis. A total of 125 autistic adolescents and adults aged 16–45 (M = 25.40) participated. Linear regression models were constructed to investigate whether employment, depression, anxiety, and social participation were associated with five domains of quality of life: overall, physical health, psychological, social relationships, and environment. Additional linear regression models explored whether emotion dysregulation was associated with the same quality of life domains. Surprisingly, employment was not significantly associated with any quality of life domain. Greater depression severity was significantly associated with poorer quality of life across all domains. Greater social participation was associated with better quality of life, but only for individuals with lower anxiety. More severe dysphoria was associated with poorer overall quality of life and the psychological and physical health domains. Results suggest that mental health and emotion dysregulation are important predictors of quality of life for autistic people. They also suggest that anxiety symptoms may attenuate the beneficial effects of social participation. This study provides insight into the unique experiences of autistic individuals and highlights potential unmet need. •Employment status was not significantly associated with any quality of life domain.•More severe depression was associated with poorer quality of life in all quality of life domains.•Greater social participation was associated with better quality of life, but only for autistic adults with lower levels of anxiety.