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Clinical Psychology Commons

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Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

2023

Autism

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Clinical Psychology

Autism Paradigms And Mental Well-Being Among Autistic Adults: A Quantitative Exploration, Libbey Walker Jan 2023

Autism Paradigms And Mental Well-Being Among Autistic Adults: A Quantitative Exploration, Libbey Walker

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

Autistic populations experience significant mental health challenges. A growing body of research supports addressing autistic mental health problems using the framework of minority stress theory, the social model of disability, and the neurodiversity paradigm (e.g., Botha & Frost, 2018; Cage et al., 2018). This quantitative study explored how identification with the neurodiversity paradigm versus the pathology paradigm related to mental well-being in autistic adults. Participants (N = 135) completed an online survey in which they rated their identification with autism descriptions representing both paradigms. Participants also completed measures of psychological distress, self-esteem, personal autism acceptance, and internalized autism stigma. Most …


Autistic Authors' Narratives Of Trauma And Resilience: A Qualitative Analysis, Tessa Smith Jan 2023

Autistic Authors' Narratives Of Trauma And Resilience: A Qualitative Analysis, Tessa Smith

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

This qualitative dissertation investigates current research gaps regarding autistic individuals’ experience of trauma and resilience in the face of adversity. Specifically, it conceptualizes trauma and resilience through a neurodiverse lens, through identifying themes in memoirs written by five autistic authors related to trauma, potentially traumatic events, resiliency, and posttraumatic growth. Through Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis, I identified individual, interpersonal, and societal factors impacting the memoirists experiences of trauma, through the identification of 11 superordinate themes. Prominent themes at the individual level included self-acceptance and emotion regulation promoting resilience. At the contextual level, sensory processing and uncertainty coincided with experiences of trauma. …