The results of a recent study suggest that the age at which autism is diagnosed does not affect an individual’s quality of life.
Researchers from the University of Bath and King’s College London have conducted a first-of-its-kind study to investigate the correlation between the age at which individuals become aware of autism and its impact on quality of life.
The research results are published in the journal autism, showing that the age at which someone learns they have autism is not strongly associated with their quality of life. Furthermore, this effect differed by sex — women with autism had a better quality of life compared to men, while those with other mental health problems, such as anxiety disorders, tended to have a lower quality of life.
The study involved 300 adults with autism who were asked to share the age at which they realized they had autism. Among other things, the researchers collected details of their sociodemographic background, including their current age, gender, race, relationship status, living arrangements, education level, employment status, household income, and any other information they may have. Mental health status. Participants’ levels of autistic personality traits were also assessed during the study.
“For some people, early detection of autism was associated with better quality of life. For others, later detection was better. Overall, they found no overall relationship between age and quality of life Contact,” said Lucy Livingston, a senior research fellow at the University of Bath and lecturer in psychology at King’s College London. Press Releases.
“Our findings suggest that having more autistic personality traits – no matter when you learn you have autism – is the strongest link to poor outcomes in all areas of quality of life. We are now following up This discovery, to look more closely at how different autistic traits affect quality of life. This will be a step towards establishing This is an important step towards more targeted and effective support,” Dr Florence Leung, lead researcher at the University of Bath, said in a news release.
Men with autism and those with other mental health problems may have a harder time, the study suggests.
“Furthermore, being male and having other mental health problems was associated with poorer quality of life. These observations underscore the importance of considering gender-specific support strategies for a more targeted focus on improving the mental health of people with autism, improving their life outcomes. Understandably, there has been a lot of discussion about autism and mental health in women in recent years, but based on these findings, we should not ignore the needs of men with autism who may also be struggling.”
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Published by Medicaldaily.com