Date Approved

6-7-2024

Embargo Period

6-10-2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Department

Clinical Psychology

College

College of Science & Mathematics

Advisor

Katherine Gotham, Ph.D

Committee Member 1

Meredith Jones, Ph.D.

Committee Member 2

Goldie Ann McQuaid, Ph.D.

Committee Member 3

Jessica Penwell Barnett, Ph.D.

Keywords

autism;college transition;mental health;sexual education;young adulthood

Subject(s)

Autistic people -- Mental health; College students with disabilities

Disciplines

Clinical Psychology | Psychology | Social and Behavioral Sciences

Abstract

The prevention and treatment of mental health concerns are consistently named among autistic adults’ highest clinical and research priorities. While several theories have been proposed to explain the high prevalence of depression and anxiety in autistic populations, virtually no longitudinal research has evaluated causal mechanisms. The first study in this dissertation aims to explore how known contributors to depression and anxiety identified by general population research – namely, rumination, dissatisfaction with social connectedness, and distressing sexual experiences – relate to the development of internalizing symptoms in autistic individuals during the transition to college. The second study explores potential contributors to sexual risk, through investigating differences in sexual consent understanding and experiences in autistic and non-autistic undergraduates. Results suggest that hypothesized predictors tend to primarily contribute to depression and anxiety symptoms during the transition to college through a) a baseline tendency that seems to have some persisting, longer-term influence throughout the semester and b) a synchronous, short-term risk that may contribute to symptoms in the moment. Findings also support prior literature that autistic adults endorse more childhood experiences of sexual abuse and unsatisfying sexual education experiences.

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