Sensory Sensitivity and Intolerance of Uncertainty Influence Anxiety in Autistic Adults

Several models of anxiety in autistic adults have focused on the role of intolerance of uncertainty which has biological and evolutionary bases, as a cognitive explanation for the high prevalence of anxiety in autism. This framework suggests that all people are born with a healthy level of intoleran...

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Autores principales:	Karys M. Normansell-Mossa, D. Nicholas Top, Nicholas Russell, Mark Freeston, Jacqui Rodgers, Mikle South
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Frontiers Media S.A. 2021
Materias:	autism sensory sensitivity intolerance of uncertainty anxiety autistic adults, SS IUC Psychology BF1-990
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/3b955c56f2bf4fb49fc1803da0810117
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:3b955c56f2bf4fb49fc1803da08101172021-11-16T05:59:26ZSensory Sensitivity and Intolerance of Uncertainty Influence Anxiety in Autistic Adults1664-107810.3389/fpsyg.2021.731753https://doaj.org/article/3b955c56f2bf4fb49fc1803da08101172021-11-01T00:00:00Zhttps://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.731753/fullhttps://doaj.org/toc/1664-1078Several models of anxiety in autistic adults have focused on the role of intolerance of uncertainty which has biological and evolutionary bases, as a cognitive explanation for the high prevalence of anxiety in autism. This framework suggests that all people are born with a healthy level of intolerance of uncertainty, and as we develop, this intolerance is lessened as we learn when situations are safe and begin to understand and manage the uncertainty. This process of learning about managing uncertainty does not happen in the same way in those who are high in autistic traits, which could be the reason for the high levels of anxiety symptoms commonly seen in this population. We examined archival data of 199 non-autistic and 55 autistic adults from prior studies in which we collected self-report measures of autistic traits, intolerance of uncertainty, sensory processing, and anxiety. We conducted two path analyses to examine the role of intolerance of uncertainty in anxiety in autistic adults. The first model tested the idea that intolerance of uncertainty, an evolutionary phenomenon common for all people, could explain some of the cognitive aspects of anxiety in autism. The second model suggests that primary neurodevelopmental differences associated with autistic traits underlie the sensory sensitivity and sensory seeking behaviors, which in turn increase intolerance of uncertainty and subsequent anxiety. We found that the “neurodevelopmental” model had better model fit than the “evolutionary stress” model, suggesting that the neurodevelopmental impact of higher levels of autistic traits could moderate a non-autistic trajectory of learning to manage uncertainty as children develop and understand that uncertainty is common and acceptable.Karys M. Normansell-MossaD. Nicholas TopNicholas RussellMark FreestonJacqui RodgersMikle SouthMikle SouthFrontiers Media S.A.articleautismsensory sensitivityintolerance of uncertaintyanxietyautistic adults, SSIUCPsychologyBF1-990ENFrontiers in Psychology, Vol 12 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	autism sensory sensitivity intolerance of uncertainty anxiety autistic adults, SS IUC Psychology BF1-990
spellingShingle	autism sensory sensitivity intolerance of uncertainty anxiety autistic adults, SS IUC Psychology BF1-990 Karys M. Normansell-Mossa D. Nicholas Top Nicholas Russell Mark Freeston Jacqui Rodgers Mikle South Mikle South Sensory Sensitivity and Intolerance of Uncertainty Influence Anxiety in Autistic Adults
description	Several models of anxiety in autistic adults have focused on the role of intolerance of uncertainty which has biological and evolutionary bases, as a cognitive explanation for the high prevalence of anxiety in autism. This framework suggests that all people are born with a healthy level of intolerance of uncertainty, and as we develop, this intolerance is lessened as we learn when situations are safe and begin to understand and manage the uncertainty. This process of learning about managing uncertainty does not happen in the same way in those who are high in autistic traits, which could be the reason for the high levels of anxiety symptoms commonly seen in this population. We examined archival data of 199 non-autistic and 55 autistic adults from prior studies in which we collected self-report measures of autistic traits, intolerance of uncertainty, sensory processing, and anxiety. We conducted two path analyses to examine the role of intolerance of uncertainty in anxiety in autistic adults. The first model tested the idea that intolerance of uncertainty, an evolutionary phenomenon common for all people, could explain some of the cognitive aspects of anxiety in autism. The second model suggests that primary neurodevelopmental differences associated with autistic traits underlie the sensory sensitivity and sensory seeking behaviors, which in turn increase intolerance of uncertainty and subsequent anxiety. We found that the “neurodevelopmental” model had better model fit than the “evolutionary stress” model, suggesting that the neurodevelopmental impact of higher levels of autistic traits could moderate a non-autistic trajectory of learning to manage uncertainty as children develop and understand that uncertainty is common and acceptable.
format	article
author	Karys M. Normansell-Mossa D. Nicholas Top Nicholas Russell Mark Freeston Jacqui Rodgers Mikle South Mikle South
author_facet	Karys M. Normansell-Mossa D. Nicholas Top Nicholas Russell Mark Freeston Jacqui Rodgers Mikle South Mikle South
author_sort	Karys M. Normansell-Mossa
title	Sensory Sensitivity and Intolerance of Uncertainty Influence Anxiety in Autistic Adults
title_short	Sensory Sensitivity and Intolerance of Uncertainty Influence Anxiety in Autistic Adults
title_full	Sensory Sensitivity and Intolerance of Uncertainty Influence Anxiety in Autistic Adults
title_fullStr	Sensory Sensitivity and Intolerance of Uncertainty Influence Anxiety in Autistic Adults
title_full_unstemmed	Sensory Sensitivity and Intolerance of Uncertainty Influence Anxiety in Autistic Adults
title_sort	sensory sensitivity and intolerance of uncertainty influence anxiety in autistic adults
publisher	Frontiers Media S.A.
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/3b955c56f2bf4fb49fc1803da0810117
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Sensory Sensitivity and Intolerance of Uncertainty Influence Anxiety in Autistic Adults

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